


I'll do better

by bohemianmarshmallow



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Love at First Sight, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-01 13:48:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15775353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bohemianmarshmallow/pseuds/bohemianmarshmallow
Summary: Arthur Shelby wasn’t used to winning, not on his own at least. Regardless of being the firstborn in his family, everybody knew who the real leader of the Peaky Blinders was. Although he loved his brother, Arthur couldn’t help but feel underestimated most of the time. Then there was Angelina, a beautiful wealthy woman who could get whatever she wanted at the snap of a finger. Despite their differences, both of them won’t be able to avoid falling for each other. And, what better place to start a love story than in a gipsy party?





	1. Chapter 1

It was a hot June afternoon and if it wasn't for her friend's birthday party, Angelina and her sibling Eva would've stayed at home. There were few things that could get both sisters out of their laziness that day, and a gipsy party in the woods was one of them. Alannah was the daughter of one of the servants of the Dominici's mansion and Eva and Angelina's friend. They practically grew up together due to their father always taught them the importance of being kind to everybody no matter their social status. Thanks to that, the three of them developed a friendship that became stronger through the years.

Despite living in London and working in Dominici's mansion as her mother, a big part of Alannah's life was in Birmingham where all her family lived. That was why each year on every special occasion, Dante Dominici allowed Alannah to travel to Birmingham and spend time with her family. That 1921 wasn't different. 

Despite the warmth in the bedroom, the three girls couldn't stop laughing at silly things they said while getting ready. The truth was that they should've been ready an hour ago, but between the champagne and the conversation, time flew quicker than expected. Alannah seemed to notice it because she turned a bit worried when she saw the clock.

"Okay, ladies we really need to hurry up if we don't want to miss the train."  
"Oh, you are right" Eva replied when she saw the clock too.  
"Wait a minute I need to do something first."  
"Angie please you look great, do you really need to look for jewellery right now?" Alannah asked when she watched her friend going to her nightstand.  
"Believe me, it's worth the wait" as she said that, Angelina took a velvet box and gave it to Alannah.  
"Angie... please tell me you didn't."  
"It's your special night, you deserve it" As Alannah opened the box, she could see a subtle but beautiful necklace.  
"I think these could match" Eva added while hanging her a similar but smaller box with earrings.  
"Oh my god"  
"If you ruin your make up we are gonna take those gifts back" Eva giggled watching her friend was on the verge of tears which caused the three of them to break in laughter.

Without wasting one more second, the friends were escorted to the London station by the family driver. Once on the train, Eva and Alannah took a little nap to save energy for the night, after all, it was going to be a long journey. On the other hand, Angelina was so excited that she couldn't think of sleeping, that's why she woke them up as soon as they were arriving in Birmingham. 

Considering that the woods weren't too far from the station, going on foot to the party was the best option. After a few minutes of walking and pass a few trees, they could hear music mixed with laughter. It wasn't difficult to tell where they had to go. Once they got there, the music stopped as a man announced: "The birthday girl is finally here!". As was to be expected, everybody cheered and took Alannah to where all the guests were dancing.  
Even though the sisters didn't know anybody, it wasn't difficult for them to find dance partners or someone to chat. The hours passed as if they were minutes and maybe it was the alcohol that seemed to never end, but Angelina felt alive. The music, the dancing, the people, the woods, the fire, she wished London had parties like that. 

"Hey, Arthur" John whispered grabbing his brother by the arm "Look at that girl over there."  
"Be more clear Johnny boy there are a lot of girls"  
"The one with the pink dress of course."  
"She is not bad, " He said while lighting up his cigarette.  
"She is not bad?" John asked raising an eyebrow "Since when are you so picky? Come on look at her, look at that body, look at her face."  
“So why don’t you ask her to dance?”  
“You kidding? Esme would kill me” He answered while smiling at his wife who was looking at him.

Regardless of what he said, Arthur found that girl pretty gorgeous, but where was the point in recognizing it if she would never lay eyes on him? For as long as he remembered, the lucky one with girls was Tommy. Even if Arthur had lost the count of the number of girls he had slept with, Tommy always managed them to fall in love with him. On the other hand, Angelina didn't think the same as him. She glanced at the two men watching at her and one, in particular, caught her attention. He was clearly a bit older than the guy next to him but she didn't care. 

"If I were you I would be careful," Alannah said taking her by surprise.  
"I don't know what you are talking about," She answered trying to hide her smile.  
"I'm talking about Arthur Shelby, the guy with the moustache you are looking at."  
"Is he one of the Shelby brothers?"  
"Mh, that's why I tell you to be careful. You don't want to get involved with someone like him."  
"I think I'll be the one who decides that."  
"Angie please don't do this"  
"I'm just gonna ask him to dance, I don't see nothing wrong with that."  
"Okay do as you please, but I warn you that he is a bit unstable."  
“What you mean?”  
“Don’t get me wrong he is funny and everything, I even heard he is a beast on the bed,” She said the last thing lowering her voice with a smirk on her face “But if you catch him in the bad mood you’re fucked.”  
“Really?”  
“To make yourself an idea, he lost control in a boxing fight once and beat up a guy to death”  
"Oh my god…” She was wide-eyed “What happened to him to do something like that?"  
"France happened"

Angelina understood what her friend was talking about. Her three brothers had to fight in France too, and God knew they didn’t come back being the same. She knew that she should be thankful to have her brothers back, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t hurt every time she thought about all the things they probably had to see and do. 

"Has he ever hurt a woman?" Angelina asked.  
"No" Her friend recognised "He has done a lot of things, but hurting women isn't one of them" After a few seconds Alannah spoke again "The poor guy has been through a lot." 

"With more reason, the man needs a bit of fun" Without waiting for her friend's reply, Angelina went to meet the Shelby Brothers.  
"Hey look who is coming," John said with amusement to his brother as Angelina was getting closer.  
"Hi, sorry for interrupting but I was wondering if you would like to dance with me."  
"John don't be rude, answer her."  
"She wasn't asking me" He answered with a playful smile.  
"So…what you say?" She asked still waiting for an answer.  
"I'm afraid I'm too drunk to dance" Arthur had never felt so stupid in his whole life, and he had done stupid things, he had a beautiful girl asking him to dance and he rejected her?  
"Don't worry I'm drunk too" She replied with a grin taking him by the hand and leading him to where all the people were dancing.  
If she hadn't noticed his insecurity and if she hadn't been so confident about herself, Arthur's response would’ve discouraged her. Some people need a boost, and he wasn’t the exception.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh shit I'm so sorry" he apologized after stepping on her foot by the second time.  
"It's okay don't worry" she giggled "Listen I know it's hard for men to hear this, but try to do as I do" Despite his surprise, he did as he was told and since then there were no more incidents.

After dancing for a few more minutes, they started to feel a bit dizzy as a result of the spins and the rum. Without stopping their chat, Arthur and Angelina sat next to the bonfire.

"So... where you come from?"  
"How do you know I'm not from here?" Angelina asked with a smile.  
"Well, you clearly aren’t," he said as if it was obvious "Birmingham is a small town, and I'm sure I would've remembered you if I'd seen you before" At that moment Arthur couldn't tell if the pink on her cheeks were for the alcohol or something else, whatever the reason was she looked beautiful.  
"Well I'm afraid you are wrong there" she answered with a playful smile "I've been in Birmingham for 7 months, I teach in the school near the factory"  
"And how I've never seen you?"  
"I live in London but I come to teach in Birmingham"  
"Why? I mean... don't get me wrong I think that what you do is great but, it wouldn't be easier to teach in London?"  
"Yeah, I think so...but...London doesn't need teachers as much as Birmingham. And between us, schools here aren't as selective as the London ones"  
"Well, you have a point there" Arthur chuckled while smoking a cigarette he had started a few seconds ago. “So tell me, how is your life in London?"  
"I can't complain" she shrugged "My sister and I share a small flat in Beer Lane, she is a nurse"  
"That's a dangerous neighbourhood for two ladies to live in"  
"We are used to that kind of places, our father was an employee in a factory so we've never had too many options"  
"I'm sorry to hear that"  
"Don't be" she smiled "I'm proud of my life and my family"

Angelina hated lies, she hated to hear them as much as tell them. The problem was that sometimes she felt forced to do it in exchange of don't look smug or to be sure that the person she was with, actually liked her for who she was. It wasn't all false though, her father used to work in a factory and her family had lived in a poor neighbourhood for many years. But thanks to her father's hard work their luck had changed. As the time passed Angelina, as well as her four siblings, could be able to have an education and, for the first time, have choices. She couldn't feel prouder of her family and her life. The only thing that wasn't true was that she lived in Beer Lane, but there were worse lies. 

"There you are" Eva showed up smiling "It's getting late, we should go home"  
"Arthur she is my sister, Eva" Angelina introduced her sister.  
"Nice to meet you" he got up to shake her hand.  
"Nice to meet you too, sorry for interrupting but we really need to go" It was clear that she felt bad for interrupting her sister but they had a lot of things to do at the next day and getting up at 6 a.m. was one of them.  
"C'mon Vee just a few more minutes" Angie plead looking like a 5-year-old who didn't want to go to bed.  
"Angie we have to get up very early tomorrow and I won't go alone to the train station"  
"My brother can take you to the station" Arthur suggested.  
"He won't mind?"  
"Of course he won't," he said with a smile "Hey Finn, come here!" In a matter of seconds, the youngest Shelby was already there "This beautiful lady needs you to take her to the train station"  
"Only if you are okay with that" Eva specified with a shy look seeing that Finn stand there without answering.  
"N-no no... I’m...I'll gladly take you there" He answered with the most beautiful and innocent smile Eva had ever seen.  
"Thanks" she smiled.

Two hours had passed since Finn and Eva left but if someone had asked Arthur or Angelina, they would have said it had been seconds. It wasn't until most people began to leave when they realized how late it was. 

"I think I should take you to the train station," Arthur said while getting up "C'mon" he added spreading his hand to her.

She took it and they both started to walk towards the station, without bothering in keeping distance. As they were walking, Angelina couldn't help but laugh at the things Arthur said.

"Oh my god wait a minute I can´t breathe" she tried to say while she put a hand on her belly because of the pain of laughing so much.  
"I think we shouldn't have drunk so much"  
"We aren’t that drunk"  
"If you say so..." he stopped walking when Angelina grabbed his hand.

They kept looking at each other for a few seconds until Arthur cupped gently his hand on her cheek and, just like that, kissed her. The boys she had been with definitely didn't kiss like that, what began as an innocent kiss turned into something else when she caught his lower lip with her teeth, nibbling softly. She didn't know how long they stayed like that, it felt like forever but it would never be long enough.

"Do you...Do you want to go somewhere a little more private?"  
"Isn't this place private enough for you?"  
"But… where do you want to do it?"  
"Mr Shelby I'm a bit disappointed I thought you had more imagination" She smirked leading him to an alley near them.

Arthur didn't need more encouragement. Groaning, he pulled her against the wall and covered her lips with his. His tongue massaged hers and started exploring her open mouth. When she felt his tongue brush against hers she moaned into his lips, starting to feel a sharp pain in her underwear. Deciding it was too soon to give in to the pleasure, Angela pushed him gently with one hand and began to unbutton her dress leaving herself bare-chested just for him.

"Fuck doll, look at you" Arthur murmured placing his hands in her ass.  
"Will you just look?" she asked suggestively, taking his hand in hers and leading him to her breast.  
"Kill me if I do" As soon as he said that, he began to kiss and bite a trail from her neck to her breast. And then his mouth closed around one nipple and he sucked softly one breast while he cupped and kneaded the other. She gasped and clutched him. He smirked at her reaction and laved his tongue over her other breast, nipping the flesh there. As he continued his attention on her chest, Angelina reached out to feel his hard erection. She touched him like she knew most boys liked, but Arthur Shelby wasn't most boys, she could tell by the way he was making her feel. As she explored his cock with her small hand, he groaned in pleasure.

Angelina remembered a summer she and a friend had paid a prostitute to teach them all her tricks. Sex wasn't a topic people felt comfortable talking about, which she found a bit hypocrite considering that everybody did it and, in some cases, even enjoy it. That was why she was so curious about it and wanted to learn how to give and receive that pleasure she only knew by reading forbidden books. 

So, as she was taught, she unzipped Arthur's pants and started to pump up and down on his fully erect cock in a rhythmic motion. "Fuck me, Arthur" she whispered "Oh, God...fuck me with your big hard cock" 

He couldn't take it no more, and that was when he mumbled: "Okay enough with this shit" In a matter of seconds he picked her up by her waist and raised her up the wall, and began to enter her with one, hard thrust making her gasp. He fucked her so undeniably good that she didn't bother in suppressing a moan at the time her head fell back.  
At that moment there was only one thing that could turn him on even more, and that was Angelina's gasps encouraging to go harder and faster. Arthur paused for a moment to raise her leg over his shoulder thrusting her back and forth making her rock into his touch. His forehead was pressed in her neck, and all she could do was close her hands around the back of his head just to keep him closer. 

As his thrusts became more intense, Angelina pulled him from her neck to attack his mouth with her own. After a few more pounding strokes, she cried out as her orgasm began. That should've been enough for him to reach his climax, but Arthur kept suppressing her moans with kisses and fucked her through her pleasure, he was going to teach that girl how they fucked in Birmingham. 

"Fuck, your pussy is so tight..." he groaned, as his gaze met hers.

He fell forward, pressing himself balls-deep into her as he began to fill her up with his seed and she held him with her arms so that he remained inside her. As he rested his head on her shoulder she lifted his chin and gave him a lazy smile before giving him a sweet, soft kiss. 

"Has anyone ever told you that you're an animal?" She murmured gently touching his lips.  
"A couple of times" He grinned, and it was true, he had been called an animal but not in that context. He waited only a few seconds before pulling out and carefully placing her back on her feet. Once in the ground, she began to button her dress and fix her hair.  
"I must admit that you are not what I expected for a school teacher" He confessed after zipping his trousers and rearrange his shirt.  
"Mr Shelby, there are a lot of things that you don't know about me" she explained giving him a last smile before restarting their way to the station. 

The train didn't take too long to arrive, which was kind of a shame for Angelina considering that she actually wanted to stay with Arthur a little bit longer. He took her to the nearest carriage and he was about to leave when she called him.

"Arthur!" she was still standing in the same spot and continued speaking when he got closer "I just wanted to say that I had a good time"  
"I had a good time too, sweetheart."  
"I know I'm going to sound like a schoolgirl but, would you like to meet again someday?"  
"I... I don-"  
"It's okay don't worry" she smiled at him to don't make the situation awkward "It was just an idea. Well, Mr Shelby, it was a pleasure to meet you" she held out her hand.  
"Miss Dominici, the pleasure was mine" he grinned as he kissed her hand. 

With a last smile, she winked at him and got into the carriage. Once inside, Angelina took a seat beside the window and laid her head against the glass. She wouldn't deny it, Arthur had hurt her pride a little, but at least they had a good time and that was fine by her. Little did she know how much Arthur was thinking about her at that very moment.


	3. Chapter 3

One week had passed since Alannah’s birthday party and Angelina was starting to get used to the idea that Arthur might never visit her. At first, she thought he was playing hard to get, but if that had been the case, he wouldn't have taken so long. She just didn’t understand, they had spoken about a lot of things and the sex had been great. The truth was that she had never been rejected before, quite the contrary, she was used to be the one that rejected. Maybe that was what karma felt like, it sucked, to be honest. 

“Arthur!” This time Tommy spoke louder seeing that his brother wasn't paying attention.  
“Mh? Sorry what?”  
Tommy sighed “Tell me, did you listen to a word I said?” Watching the lack of response from his brother he continued “Listen I don’t know what’s going on with you during the last few days but I need you to be focused to make this deal happen.”  
“Don’t worry brother, I've it under control ”  
“I hope so, otherwise it'll be John who'll go to Camden Town to meet Alfie Solomons.”  
“No need, I can handle it.”

After discussing less important matters the meeting was finished and, everybody came back to their jobs. Arthur took his coat and went to his office, maybe it wasn’t the quietest place on earth but it was the best option he had at that moment. Once in his chair, he fell back his head and let out a deep sigh. Tommy was right, he hadn’t been focused on the last few days, not since he met Angelina. He was still unsure if asked her out or not. On one hand, she had been the one who asked him to dance and she definitely had been the one to encourage him to go further than a kiss. 

But on the other hand, they both had drunk too much, and he knew from experience that when someone was drunk and horny they could be capable of anything. However, she sounded pretty conscious when she asked him to meet again. His headache got worse as he started to think more about it, luckily for him a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

“Come in” He groaned while organising some papers on his desk “What do you want John?” Arthur asked when he saw his brother standing in front of him with a mocking look.  
“Hey, why the shitty mood? One would think that after fucking that precious thing you’d be happy for at least a week” Watching his brother’s look he realized that was the problem “Is for her, isn't it?”  
“Yeah” He answered taking a cigarette from his coat, “She said she had a good time and wanted to see me again.”  
“Oh that bitch, how dares she?” He replied with fake indignation.  
“Don’t you understand?” He asked annoyed for his brother’s childish attitude “That night we had drunk too much, maybe she doesn’t even remember what she said. I don’t know what to do and I think I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”  
“Look, if I were you and a beauty like that asked me out, I wouldn’t think it twice.” John could see his brother’s fear of being rejected so he gave him the best advice he could think about at that moment “Let’s suppose that you have the balls to ask her out, in the worst of the cases she’ll say no and you and I’ll go for some drinks with Lizzy’s friends. C’mon, what can you lose?”  
“Yeah, I guess you're right.” He recognized after a few seconds taking a puff “I'll see if I visit her this afternoon.”

If Angelina was waiting for something that took all her attention during the day, she'd got it. As a literature teacher, she had to make her students feel at least a pinch of curiosity in what they were reading. However, that wasn’t an easy job when most kids assumed that reading was boring without giving it a try. Her first days teaching in Birmingham weren’t easy, considering that most kids weren’t used to respect their teachers and she was new there. As the time passed she grown on them as a result of her kindness and her unusual methods of teaching. Even if they still hated reading, they liked her and with those kids that was a big step. 

Her methods consisted of different ways to make the activities as funny as possible. That day she would take them to the pictures to watch a film based on a famous novel. Of course, it wasn’t the same as reading the book, but without being conscious about it, those kids were learning. After buying all the kid’s tickets, they went to their seats and waited for the movie to start.

It was a mystery story about a Dr. who had to deal with an evil second personality. At first, she wasn’t sure about taking her students to watch that film, but she knew they saw worse things in their homes and for those kids going to the pictures was a luxury. She remembered once her father bought tickets for the pictures on her birthday, she was a kid then but she still remembered feeling like a millionaire that day. 

When the movie ended, the kids jumped from their seats and begun to describe their favourite scenes imitating the accents and the gestures. A few minutes later, Angelina organized a line and made sure that none student was missing. After confirming everybody was there and make them take the hand of their partner, they went out of the pictures. As they were walking Angelina saw a familiar person crossing the street. 

“Hi,” Arthur said stepping in front of her.  
“Hi” She whispered a bit surprised.  
“I was going to the school, I thought I’d found you there.”  
“Well, that's where we were going” As soon as she said that, she realized that all her students were there watching the awkward scene “Would you like to come with us?”  
“Yeah sure” After he said that they started to walk together.  
“Sorry for showing up like these,” he said lowering his voice so her students wouldn’t hear “I wasn’t sure if I should come.”  
“You took your time.”  
“I know, but last time we both had drunk a lot and I didn’t know if you actually meant what you said on the train.”  
“I did,” she said once they got to the school “Playtime is going to start in a few minutes, wait in the teacher’s room at the end of the corridor and I’ll meet you there.”

After sending the kids to the playground, Angelina talked with one of the teachers to keep an eye on her students until playtime would be over. As she did every time she was nervous, Angelina took a deep breath and opened the door to meet Arthur who was sat in front of a small table.

“So... what do you want to drink? We have a horrible coffee and a sort of decent tea.”  
“I think I’ll have a tea.”  
“Smart choice” She smiled and went to boil water for the tea.  
“You always take out your students?”  
“Sometimes. It’s nice to do something different from time to time, and I think those kids deserve to have at least a bit of fun.”  
“You’re a good teacher.”  
“I try” After a couple of seconds in silence Angelina spoke again, “You said you weren’t sure about coming here.”  
“I did.”  
“What changed your mind?”  
“My brother, he said that I shouldn’t waste an opportunity like going out with someone like you. And he was right.”  
“I like your brother” She smiled at him.  
“I like him too” He corresponded her smile.  
The whistling of the teapot told them the water was ready and Angelina turned around to make the tea.  
“I leave at seven,” She said while placing the cups on the table.  
“Pardon?”  
“Well, you are the first man that makes me wait for so long, I expect that at least you invite me a drink” She explained before taking a sip.  
“Sweetheart it’s a date” He grinned making her flush.

As she'd said, Angelina left at seven to meet Arthur at the school's entrance. After offering his arm, they walked to the Garrison while talking about trivial things that sounded interesting at that moment. Considering the place wouldn’t be full before eight, they had some drinks to kill time. An hour later, the place started to get more and more crowded making it hard to imagine it was almost empty not too long ago. The music was so loud and people talked so much that Angelina had to get closer to Arthur just to listen to what he was saying, she didn’t mind though. 

“I’m going to get us more drinks, don’t leave,” She said placing a kiss on his cheek and left.

He was too busy looking at her that he didn’t notice someone sat next to him. It wasn’t until he felt a hand caressing his shoulder when he noticed he had company.

“Hi Arthur,” The woman said suggestively.  
“Lina” He whispered “Hi.”  
“I missed you so much, what happened you forgot about me?” She asked caressing his cheek with her index finger. 

Lina was one of the prostitutes Arthur had been with, but he stopped paying for her services after one time he caught her stealing from his wallet when she thought he wasn’t watching. 

“Not now Lina,” He said while taking her hands off of him “I’m with someone.”  
“And she doesn’t like to share?” She asked with a malicious tone.  
“No she’s pretty selfish actually” Angelina answered making Lina turn around “We already have drinks but I would appreciate if you’d bring us more glasses,” She asked with a fake smile.  
“I don’t work here” She answered clearly offended.  
“Oh” Angelina pretended to be surprised “So since you don’t work here and we don’t need your services, would you mind giving me my seat back?” 

Without bothering in hiding her anger, Lina got up with a furious look and left the place. Arthur, on the other hand, was pretty amused. After laughing at the recent scene, they kept talking as if nothing had happened.

“Are you sure you can take that?” Arthur asked looking at the drink she was preparing.  
“Believe me, after drinking with my brothers you can take anything.”  
“I didn’t know you had more siblings.”  
“Yeah, we are five” She explained while handing him a glass “Chris is the first, Vinny is the second, then me, Tony and Vee is the last one.”  
“You are a herd” He chuckled.  
“Yeah I think so” She giggled “We are always having each other's backs.”  
“Amen for that” they both raised their glasses and drunk them in one shot. After a few more drinks Arthur asked her “Do you have plans for Saturday?”  
“Depends, reading a novel counts as a plan?” She asked as if she was thinking about a serious matter.  
“I’m afraid not sweetheart” He chuckled.  
“So I don’t” She grinned.  
“Good, because I’m going to London to take you out.”  
“Arthur you don't have to do that” She felt bad at the idea of Arthur spending so much money on her when she had plenty of that. “We can go somewhere else here and I’m sure we’ll still have a good time.”  
“Angie I’m going to spend all that money anyway, I prefer to spend it on you. So wear something nice and wait for me at the Theatre Royal at around 8.”  
“There is no way I can change your mind, right?” She asked recognizing that same stubbornness on her family.  
“I’m afraid not” He answered with a triumphant smile.  
“Mr Shelby, it's a date” She imitated him clinking his glass.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of this chapter has a fragment of episode 5 from series 2 :)

It was a bright Friday night in London and something big would happen, Arthur could feel it in his bones. He had been tasked to meet with Alfie Solomons and things with Angelina couldn’t be better. It seemed like for once, everything would be okay. If things went according to plan, the Peaky Blinders would've won a new ally by the end of the night. Arthur and his two men stood in front of what it seemed to be a bakery, waiting to be escorted to the distillery where the dinner was taking place. Once inside, a man with a jovial mood went to greet them.

“Gentlemen, welcome, welcome.”  
“Mr Solomons,” Arthur said shaking hands.  
“You must be Arthur.”  
“That’s right.”  
“I have heard so much about you.”  
“Shalom. Let me just say, Shalom.” Arthur thought one way of winning Alfie’s respect was showing that he was interested in his culture.

After everybody took their respective seats, the guests were offered wine and bread while waiting for the main dish. From experience, Alfie knew that a good host must entertain his guests, and if there was one thing that could entertain all kind of people, that was stories. That’s why he started to explained why Jews celebrated that day.

"The Passover started off way out there in the Far East. Out in the sand, out in the desert, where my forefathers come from” As he was explaining, two men got up to close the doors calling Arthur’s attention. “The Jews, the brews, whatever you want to call them. It started out as a little speck on the horizon.”  
“Arthur, this ain't right!” One of the men at his left whispered. 

Arthur was about to say something but Alfie interrupted him “Billy don't worry, mate. If you want, you can leave. If you need to go to the little boy's room, you can leave. We're going to open them in a minute anyway.”

“He's all right,” Arthur said looking at his partner.  
“Billy boy. Do you want to leave?" Alfie asked.  
“No, I'm all right.” He answered refusing to look like a coward.  
“You want to stay?"  
“I'll stay.”  
“You stay there, then, treacle. Okay.” Alfie confirmed before returning to the previous subject. “So, the Pharaoh, have you heard of him? He kept my people, the Jewish people, in slavery for thousands and thousands of years.”  
"Persecuted race," Arthur added.  
“He did” He agreed “He persecuted my race. The killing of the innocent, right? Seder, this feast what we are having here, right? The Seder is basically the day when the Jewish angels decided, you know, that the evil fucking Egyptians had pushed their fucking luck.”  
“Right,” Arthur confirmed.  
“It's part of our tradition, to do with Seder, right, that in order to make it good with God to kill a king. We have to carry out the Korban Pesach.”  
“Right.”  
“That is the ritual sacrifice of the Passover goat.” At that moment a man walked into the distillery with a goat.  
“It's that a goat?” Arthur asked a bit confused.  
“Yeah, and we are going to sacrifice it. Tonight. That is part of the reason why we have to shut the doors as well. But this year we thought we'd give the fucking goat a name.”  
“You've named it?” He asked amusedly.  
“We fucking did. Yeah.”  
“They named the fucking goat” Arthur repeated finding the situation pretty funny while Billy's face only showed concern.  
“After the evil fucking Egyptian pharaoh.”  
“The fucking enemy!”  
“That's right! You know what we called him? “  
“What did you call him?”  
“Tommy Shelby" As he said that, the man cut the goat's throat, Billy was shot in the head and one of Alfie's men took Arthur's neck from behind with a rope. All that happened in less than 5 seconds “Eh?” Alfie asked amused to Arthur difficulty to speak with a rope in his neck.  
“Fuck you!” Arthur grunted making Alfie kick him in the stomach as a punishment for his disrespect.  
“That's right, let's take the load off” Alfie said cupping Arthur's face forcing him to look at him in the eyes “So, then the evil Egyptian scum was finally cleansed by the blood of the Passover goat” As he said the last sentence, Alfie put some of the goat's blood on Arthur's forehead and lips making him grunt “That's from Sabini” He whispered after kissing both Arthur's cheeks. The last thing he remembered was a bump on his head. Then everything turned black.

By the moment he woke up, Arthur found himself in a narrow cell without being sure of anything but the pain on the back of his head. He was an idiot for not seeing that coming. What had he thought? That for once everything would be fine? It seemed like he hadn’t learnt his lesson yet. It didn’t take him too long to realize what had happened. Alfie had made a better deal with Sabini, a powerful gangster in London and one of the Peaky Blinder's enemies. The event was a trap and he had been the bait. With his partners shot, Alfie had twisted everything to make him look like the murderer.  
Having so much free time to think wasn’t always something good. Arthur realized that it was Saturday afternoon and he didn’t have too many expectations of being released before eight. It seemed like, after all, he and Angelina wouldn’t have that date. Maybe it was better that way, things between them wouldn’t have worked anyway. Sooner or later she would find out who he really was and would leave him. Arthur was watching the sunny sky from a tiny window when an officer entered his cell to handcuffed him.

“Where are you taking me?” He asked fearing the worst.  
“Don’t shit your pants yet. You have a visit” The officer said enjoying the fear in Arthur’s eyes.  
When they reached the yard his eyes lighted up for a second at the view of John waiting for him.  
“Here he is. The king of London town” He mocked at his brother’s bruised face and baggy clothes. “You've been enjoying yourself?”  
“Yes, fucking great” Arthur snapped “Surrounded by Sabini's men. Rats everywhere. Fucking cockneys.”  
“At least you're going to get what you've always wanted.”  
“What?”  
“Well, you tried to hang yourself twice. Now, the king is gonna do it for you.”  
Arthur chuckled “I've been a fucking idiot” He started to walk in circles around John “Yeah. I haven't appreciated nothing."  
“Are you fucking repenting or something?” John asked without believing what his brother was saying.  
“Drawing. I used to be good at drawing” He continued as if he hadn't heard what John said.  
“Arthur, please. I don't need this"  
“I should've listened more in class.”  
“What fucking class?” He must be kidding “You were never there.”  
“I used to draw horses.”  
“Arthur"  
“Stallions. Great big ones. They looked real.”  
“Arthur" John didn’t know what was worst, the noise of the handcuffs, his brother walking around him or his suddenly moral attack.  
“I should’ve done more with my life John. Good things.”  
“Arthur, will you listen? “  
“They're gonna hang me.”  
“They will not.”  
“Says who?”  
“Tommy.”  
Arthur got closer to his brother “And how is Houdini going to get me out of this?” He asked putting his handcuffs in front of John's face.  
“Well-"  
“Don't tell me. He's got a plan. But you don't know what that plan is, do you, John? 'Cause we just can’t be trusted.”  
“I do.”  
“All right, if he's so fucking clever, why am I here. Why are all our men and half our whiskey being lifted? Mh?”  
“Will you shut up?”  
“Look at you, look. A big fucking man-"  
“Fucking shut up! He's already told me what I've got to do.”

Meanwhile, Angelina was struggling to find the balance between looking beautiful and classy without exposing her wealthiness. She found the situation pretty funny when she remembered all those girls who tried to look as rich as possible while she wanted to hide it. Considering that it was too soon to leave, Angelina went downstairs to meet their brothers in the parlour where Eva was playing the piano.  
She entered trying to be as quiet as possible to not disturb her sister. While the music filled the place, Angelina sat next to Tony who made her room on the couch so she could seat.  
Despite none of the four siblings were fond of classical music, they never missed the opportunity to listen to their sister play. Eva was what they called the only decent person of the family, the only one who could say her conscious was clean. At first, they thought it was because she was the youngest, but as they saw her grow up they realized that she was simply a good person. When the music stopped, all of them started to clap and Eva made funny reverences. 

“Bravo!” Vincent kept clapping “Much better than those fuckers from the opera.”  
“Vincent!” Eva tried to reprimand his brother’s vocabulary without being able to not feel flattered.  
“C’mon lets drink some coffee before I leave,” Angelina said while pouring the coffee in the porcelain cups.  
“By the way, why don’t you tell us who is your date?” Tony asked as he took a biscuit from a plate.  
“Because it’s none of your business.”  
“Everything that happens to one of us is our business” He replied with the worst argument Angelina had ever heard.  
“Okay. What’s going on with Betty Evans?"  
“What?” Tony asked being taken by surprise.  
“Well, everything that happens to one of us is our business,” Angelina repeated his brother’s words.  
“I didn't want to know who your date was anyway” He preferred to quit the subject before talking about the girl that drove him crazy.  
“Come on Angie we all know who your date is,” Christian said before giving a sip to his coffee “Everybody has seen you together.”  
“What you mean?” She asked trying to hide her worry.  
“You’re dating Alfie Solomons” Christian joked.  
Angelina let out a sigh of relief “Yeah, you caught me. We’ve been having an affair for months but we weren’t sure if it was the moment to tell you.”

Alfie Solomons had been working with her father for years. When Dante Dominici started to build his empire on the legal and not so legal business, he knew he needed partners as powerful as him if he wanted to keep on the top. The problem was that neither Christian nor Angelina trusted Alfie, after all, he wasn’t known for his loyalty. That was why they always kept an eye open whenever he was near or their father needed to make a deal with him.

“That fucking bastard” Vincent chuckled “Have you heard what he did to one of the Shelby brothers?”

Angelina automatically lifted her head from her cup when she heard the Shelby surname.

“Yeah” Christian replied don’t seeing what was so funny “And I wouldn’t laugh if I were you, remember that is our partner and if he betrayed someone like Shelby, he can do the same with us.”  
“He would never do that” Vincent replied relaxed “It’s not convenient to have us as enemies.”  
“There are still a lot of things you need to learn brother” He whispered taking another sip.  
“What the fuck you are talking about” Vincent replied starting to get angry.  
“Calm down, one day that temper of yours will get you in troubles” Christian advised without changing his voice.  
“Don’t treat me like if I wouldn’t know what’s going on when all you do is play the lawyer behind your desk and keep your hands clean while Tony and I do all the dirty work”

Christian and Vincent had always gotten along and cared for each other, one of the reasons they had such a good relationship was because most of the times Christian didn’t take serious Vincent’s anger and just waited him to calm down. However, if there was something that really annoyed Christian was being told that he wasn’t involved enough with his family and the business. 

“Listen to me and listen me very clear because I’ll only say it once” He said adopting a more serious tone “I never wanted to be part of this business, the only reason why I’m the lawyer of this family is because I don’t want to see none of your asses in prison. I’ve had to corrupt myself to make this business work and keep what father worked so hard for. So don’t you dare to say my hands are clean.”  
“What did he do? “Angelina questioned after a short pause.  
“What?” Tony asked.  
“Alfie, what did he do?”  
“He sold out one of his partners” Christian explained, “They were having a dinner and all of a sudden he shot Shelby’s partners and made him look like he was the one who did it.”  
“And… which brother is in arrested?” She asked trying not to sound too obvious.  
“The oldest one, I think his name is Arthur” Vincent replied a bit calmer now “Why do you ask?”  
“Just curiosity” She answered keeping her look on her cup. If Angelina didn’t like Alfie then, now she hated him.  
“You should hurry up or you’ll be late” Tony advised looking at the clock.  
“Mh? Oh my date, actually I don’t feel like going.”  
“But you are ready” Vincent knew his sister, and he knew that she wasn't the kind of person who called off at the last moment.  
“Yeah, I know but I feel pretty tired and I wasn’t very excited to go anyway” When she became such a terrible liar? She didn’t know “I’m going to fill this thing” She took the plate and went to the kitchen for more biscuits.  
“Angie?” Christian took her by surprise.  
“Jesus!” Angelina closed her eyes and put a hand on her chest “Chris you almost scare me to death.”  
“Are you alright?”  
“Yeah, why?”  
“You acted a bit weird there”  
“Really?” This time she sounded more convincing “I didn’t notice.”  
“Maybe it was just me. Anyway, you know that you can trust me anything, right?”  
“Of course I know. But you don’t have to worry” She reassured him.

Angelina knew that his brother meant what he said but she couldn't tell him the truth, not at that moment at least.


	5. Chapter 5

“Tommy has a plan. Tommy has a plan. Tommy has a plan.” That was the only thought that crossed Arthur’s mind since he had been arrested three days ago. He was lying on his bed looking at the cracks in the ceiling when he suddenly heard the cell’s door unlock. His first reaction was got up quickly and hide a spoon from lunch behind his back. The door opened allowing the entrance of an officer and a man on a suit. 

“Hands off cocks, on with socks,” The man said.  
“One at a time,” Arthur said “…One at a time, that’s all I ask.”  
“You’re getting out, Mr Shelby.” 

Despite being used to the success of most Tommy’s plans, he was starting to get worried about becoming the exception. That’s why the man’s announcement came as a bolt from the blue to him. His mood had changed so drastically, that he didn’t even mind when the officer took him by the arm to escort him out. While the tree of them started to walk towards the prison’s gates, the man proceeded to explain: 

“All ten witnesses against you withdrew their statements. Las night. All at once. At nine o’clock. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know.” 

But Arthur knew, John had explained it to him on his last visit. If there was something more stupid than trust Alfie, that was trust Sabini. Due to the rivalry between the Peaky Blinders and Sabini, the last one decided to make a deal with Alfie in exchange of him betraying the Shelby’s. As it was mentioned before, there was nothing as stupid like trust Sabini. As soon as Arthur was put in jail, Sabini ignored the previous arrangement leaving Alfie furious. Aware of this, Tommy negotiated a new deal with Alfie to have the murder charge against Arthur withdrawn, in return the Peaky Blinders would bring Sabini down. When the handcuffs left his wrists, Arthur could tell his brother had reached an agreement.

Once outside the building, Arthur saw Johnny Dogs waiting for him inside of his car to take him to Small Heath. When they finally reached there, Arthur reunited with the rest of the Peaky Blinders and most important, with Tommy.

“Thanks for getting me out of that,” He said while hugging him tightly.  
“I need you today brother. We pulled some strings. You are all right?” Tommy asked as he put a hand in his shoulder.  
“I am now.”  
“So Arthur is back in charge now?” John asked.  
“He is in charge of you. And you’re both in charge of him” Tommy instructed at two men “Look out duties only today.”  
“Tommy I’m getting sick of this— “Finn began to complain.  
“Finn, you don’t obey orders, you don’t come. Johnny Dogs” Tommy called.  
“Tommy?” He asked.  
“Your boys will meet us there?”  
“Well, the Lees will be there, captain.”  
“Let’s go to The Derby, boys.”

The plan wasn’t complicated. They would go to the Epsom races to ruin Sabini’s books. If things went according to the plan, they’d destroy an enemy and kept their alliance with Alfie. Arthur really hoped that things went according to the plan this time. 

“Dipsy was away, well then so was Dakota Smith but Grace’s Secret it’s at the start and she’ll go…” As the narrator’s voice filled the stadium, all the people kept cheering for the horses that would define their luck. Angelina wasn’t used to going to horse races, first of all, because she didn’t bet and secondly, she felt like those poor animals were being abused. However, she had been so stressed for the last three days that when Vincent offered her to join him in the races she accepted just to keep her mind busy. The truth was that Angelina was worried about Arthur, which didn’t make too much sense considering she barely knew him. But what annoyed her the most was the fact that her father had the power to get him out of jail and she couldn’t say anything. If she asked him to release Arthur Shelby he would ask why, and what would she say? Because they fucked once? She was in the middle of a dilemma and she felt that at any time she would go crazy.

“Angie, do me a favour, would you?” Vincent, who was sitting next to her, interrupted her thoughts. “Could you get me a gin?”  
“There aren’t waiters for that?”  
“Yes, and they always get me the wrong drink. C’mon I have to watch the race and you aren’t even paying attention” He had a point there.  
“Okay,” She sighed.  
When she reached the bar she asked for two gins, with the kind of days she was having a gin wouldn’t hurt her.  
“Angie?” She turned around when she heard her name. If someone else had seen her face, they’d have said she looked like she’d seen a ghost.  
“Arthur…”  
“What you doing here?” They both asked.  
“Why are you wearing that clothes?” He asked and he was right. For a poor girl, Angelina was dressed very classily.  
“Oh, this…” She looked at her silk dress “It’s from a friend of mine, she asked me to join her in the races and said I had to look properly so…” She was conscious for the first time of Arthur’s bruised face “What happened to your face?” She asked worriedly.  
Now it was his turn to lie, under no circumstances she must know he had been in prison “I…I got it from a fight. A boxing fight. I didn’t want you to see me like this, that’s why I didn’t go to London.” Angelina forgot she wasn’t supposed to know that Arthur had been in jail, as far as he knew she had waited for him in the theatre and he never showed up.  
“It’s okay, I wasn’t angry I just…I was afraid that something had happened to you” She wasn’t lying.  
“Arthur c’mon it’s our sign!” A man shouted outside the bar.  
“Listen,” Arthur said knowing that time was wasting “I really have to go right now, and I know is the second time I left you waiting but if things go well today and if you give me another chance I promise it won’t happen again.”  
“Arthur!” The man shouted again  
“Wait a minute!” He yelled at him “Come to the Garrison tonight I’ll be waiting for you” Without adding one more word he gave her a quick kiss and left. 

Angelina was astonished and touched her lips as she saw Arthur running away. She turned around when she heard someone clearing his throat.  
“Your gin miss,” The bartender said placing two glasses in front of her.  
“Thanks,” She said and paid for them.  
She didn’t know how much she needed to sit down until she came back to her seat.  
“Are you okay?” Vincent asked as he took one of the glasses Angelina leaned to him.  
“Yes, why?” She asked on the defensive.  
“You are red. Like a tomato” He joked.  
“It’s the weather I guess.” She appreciated that Vincent was more focused on the race than in her answer, otherwise, she would be in trouble because she didn’t know other lies to come up with. 

Things went according to the plan. For one fucking time, things went according to the plan. While all the police were focusing their attention on an incident (courtesy of Tommy), Arthur, John and the rest of the gang held up Sabini’s bookmakers and burnt their licenses. That gangster wouldn’t be able to be back in the business for a long time.

The Garrison was crowded as always but this occasion was different. The Peaky Blinders had got an important victory that day, and everybody seemed to share their happiness because they laughed and drunk like if there was no tomorrow. However, it wasn’t all good, four hours had passed and there weren’t any signs of Angelina. Maybe this time he really screwed up. Despite what he thought in prison, about things being better if they didn’t see each other, the truth was that when he saw her he had forgotten about all the reason why it wouldn’t work between them. 

“Arthur!” John called him from the other table “It’s your bar, why don’t you say a few words?” The crowd cheered supporting him.  
In the middle of the tumult, Arthur mounted the bar, standing upon it with a glass of whisky in his hand.  
“Ladies and gentleman, I’d like to raise a toast!” The men cheered “To the Small Heath Rifles.”  
“Small heath rifles!” The people answered.  
“To the Lee boys!”  
“Yeah!”

At that moment he saw Angelina who was just stepping into the bar and gave him that smile so typical of her.  
“And to the Peaky Fucking Blinders!” This time he announced with more intensity which was corresponded with more cheering “And who’s gonna stop us, eh?”  
“Nobody!” Everybody answered.  
Arthur jumped from the bar to reunite with Angelina who was wearing a more informal dress.  
“I thought you wouldn’t come” He confessed.  
“I had to go home and change” She explained flattered when she saw the relief in Arthur’s eyes when he saw her.  
“Well, you must be tired. C’mon let me get you a drink” He said as he took her hand and led her to one of the tables.  
“It’s still hurting?” She asked pointing her face alluding to his bruises.  
“I’ve had worst.” He answered pouring her some brandy.  
“So you say that was from boxing?”  
“Yep.”  
“You must be good,” She said before taking a sip.  
“I’m not bad.” He smiled at her “You could come and watch one of my fights someday” He suggested avoiding her look.  
“Sure,” She said without thinking twice.  
“Really?”  
“Yeah. I’ve always wanted to watch a boxing fight but I never had the chance.”  
“Angie…” He spoke after a few seconds; his tone became little more serious.  
“Mh?”  
“What do you know about me?” He knew it was a sudden question but he needed to know. He needed to be sure that she knew what she was getting into.  
“Nothing” She said as if she was telling the time “I mean, I've only heard the bad things that people say about you and your brothers, and I’ve heard some things that should make me want to leave” This time she shortened the distance just a bit “But I don’t know you, because what people say about you it’s not who you are.”  
“Why are you so kind?” He asked without believing that someone like her had so much faith in him without even knowing him.  
“Because my family and I have been treated like dirt too” She answered.

Before her dad had built his empire, Angelina and their siblings had been looked down and underestimated. No matter how kind or how smart they were, people would never look at them twice. One of the reasons why his father betrayed all his values concerning honest work, wasn’t just to become rich but also to be sure that his kids could be able to go to university and be respected. However, no matter how hard he tried, rich people would still look at them as a poor family who only had had luck. Of course, nobody dared to say that straight to Dante Dominici's face, but Angelina knew it was true. 

The rest of the conversation wasn’t that serious tough. Neither Arthur nor Angelina could believe the amount of time they could spend talking and laughing at the most stupid things. There was a moment when Arthur’s hand rested on the table and Angelina took advantage of that caressing it with her slim fingers.

“You already offered me a drink,” she said.  
“I did.”  
“So… how you gonna make up for me this time?” She asked in a seductive tone.  
“If you come with me I can show you” He answered taking her hand and leaving the pub.

The 10 blocks they had to walk to Arthur’s home, felt like an eternity. As soon as they stepped into the house, Arthur lift her from her waist making her close her legs around him. As he kept walking towards his bedroom, Angelina caressed his hair with her fingernails while kissing his neck. It was everything, his perfume, his rough hands in her ass, his heavy breathing, him, all of that set a fire in her stomach. When they finally reached his room, Arthur didn’t waste a second in shouting the door behind him. Without stop kissing him, Angelina subtly lead him to the bed making him lay down on the mattress. Arthur could see the lust in her eyes when she positioned herself between his legs and stripped slowly from her dress and underwear.

“You like what you see?” She asked seductively as she caressed his chest with both hands.  
“Fucking love it sweetheart” He grunted caressing her thighs.  
With a smirk, she proceeded to take off all of his clothes, leaving him naked as well. “You are so handsome” She kissed his temple “I’ve been waiting for a man like you…” She kissed his cheek “…to fuck me…” A kiss on the other cheek “…for so long…” Angelina whispered on his lips before kissing them. As Arthur grunted she kissed and bitted a path from his chest to his lower body. 

“Fuck you are so big” she whispered when she reached her target. Using her hand, Angelina ran the head of his cock against the outline of her lips and slowly licked it. The girl knew what she was doing, Arthur could tell when she gently glided the surface of her teeth along his head, trailing it with her tongue.  
“Angie…” He moaned while cupping softly the back of her head in his hand.  
She pretended that she hadn’t listened to him and used her hand to stroke the shaft of his cock up and down in a fluid motion. At that moment she glanced up at him and maintained eye contact for a few strokes. She wasn’t afraid of taking the initiative, she wasn’t afraid of doing things “proper girls wouldn’t do”, she knew how to fuck and she would show him. If she didn’t stop Arthur would come at any time and there were still a lot of things he wanted to make her. That was the only reason why he gently took her lips off him. At her curious look, he said:  
“Now it’s my turn love.”  
She gave him a naughty look and laid where he was just a second ago. Lazily, Angelina spread her legs to make room for Arthur who had to fight the urge of taking her at that very moment. Two could play that game, with that thought in his head, Arthur began to suck her breasts as he caressed her inner thighs up and down. Angelina hated teasing as much as loved it, she could feel a sharp pain in the spot Arthur was mischievously avoiding. “Arthur, please…” Angelina pleaded. 

“Oh…” He faked surprise “You wanted me to do this?” He asked as he rubbed his hand against her clit. Angelina was so aroused that she didn’t mind how she looked when she nodded frantically “Sweetheart, why didn’t you say so?” He teased and started going back and forth making her moan. That wasn’t fair at all, she was wrapped around his finger and he knew it. As soon as she felt his fingers bending inside her, Angelina had to search for hold in the sheets with one hand and knead her breast with the other.  
Delighted with the view, Arthur kept fucking her with his fingers paying attention to her gasps. After a few more strokes, Angelina could feel a hot and tingly sensation starting at the bottom of her feet that creep up to her legs and then swelled until she felt a little explosion. Arthur didn’t say anything, just sucked his fingers and waited for Angelina to catch her breath. When she did, he grunted:

“Look at you” He sat on his ankles with his knees spread apart “You’re so fucking beautiful” and arched her hips up so she rested in his upper legs.  
“Arthur…” She didn’t know if it was a question or a plead. One thing she was sure about. She needed him, she needed him inside her.  
Right after she whispered his name, Arthur grabbed her by the hips and begun to thrust into her. He felt his heart racing and his stomach getting tighter as he rocked her harder and faster in each stroke. Despite enjoying the view of her breasts bouncing, he didn’t miss the fact that she wasn’t looking at him but at her left. At that moment he realized she had her attention in their reflection in a mirror near them. 

“Let me help you with that or you’ll contract your neck” He chuckled and changed their position so she would face the mirror while he fucked her from behind. Angelina had never had sex in front of a mirror, but it was next to her and she couldn’t help but look. She knew Arthur Shelby was a gangster, that if someone found out what they were doing her reputation would be in tatters, but she also knew that that man was making her feel so incredibly good to think about the consequences. 

Deciding that she wanted to feel him closer, if that was possible, Angelina tried to straight up bringing her back closer to Arthur’s chest. He welcomed her gesture by placing a hand on her stomach to keep the balance and took her chin with the other to make her look at him. With heavy breathing he tried to kiss her, allowing her to smell the alcohol and cigarette’s essence in his moustache. Angelina noticed the reddish flush across Arthur’s neck and chest, and she could tell that he would come at any moment. Words kept trying to flow, but nothing but whimpers and yelps came out.

“Come inside me” she whispered holding his gaze “I want to feel you,” Angelina said before devouring his mouth. At that moment she had no doubt Arthur had come, his grunt in her mouth and the warmth inside her had told her. As she was on the edge of ecstasy, Angelina felt for the second time something deep within her exploding. Her body started to quake, her legs were trembling and her inner walls contracted until her orgasm finally hit her. 

As she rested her head on his chest, Arthur caressed her back and rested his arm behind his head. He didn’t remember being that turn on since…well, a long time ago. When he thought she was sleeping, Arthur wrapped one of her curls around his finger and looked at her. Feeling his gaze, Angelina lifted her head to meet his gaze.

“What is it?”  
“Mh?”  
“You looking at me” She smiled.  
“Of course I’m looking at you. You’re beautiful” She smiled “Actually, you’d look pretty gorgeous in a portrait.”  
“I don’t know anybody who makes portraits.”  
“I could do one. At least with a pencil.”  
“You draw?” She asked lying next to him.  
“Stallions mostly.”  
“I love horses. One of my brothers used to work in a racecourse, he was the one who cleaned them. And every time I went to visit him to work, I could spend hours with them.”  
“You talk a lot about your siblings” He wasn’t complaining, he said it like if he just realized that.  
“They are everything I have, them and my father.”  
“No mother?”  
“She passed away when I was ten.”  
“I’m sorry. I know how it feels.”  
“Your mother is gone too?” Arthur nodded “You want to talk about that?”  
“No…Not really” He kissed her forehead “Come here,” He said putting an arm around her and pulling her closer. Maybe Arthur Shelby was a gangster, maybe he wasn't the most decent man on earth, but she felt great when she was with him, and that was fine by her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was intended to be about Arthur and Angelina but instead, I decided to take the opportunity to write an idea that I've been thinking about for a while. It's a kind of one-shot about two characters of the fic. The next chapters will be more focused on Angelina and Arthur <3

For the first time in years, Arthur had slept without any trouble. He actually felt like there was nothing to worry about. Although he knew that with the Peaky Blinders peace didn’t last too long, he had at least five minutes of serenity and that was all he asked. On the other hand, Angelina wasn’t so calm. The thought of Arthur coming inside her for the second time haunted her. She couldn’t believe she had been so irresponsible, there were a lot of consequences in what she had done. Angelina tried to justified herself thinking that it was Arthur’s fault for not letting her think straight, but she knew it was a lame excuse. After all, she was the one who asked him to come inside her, it sounded provocative at the moment but once she thought better about it she realized how stupid her comment had been. 

“God please, if you help me with this one I promise I’ll be more careful the next time,” She thought. Angelina wasn’t very Catholic, but she was so desperate at that moment that a little pray didn’t seem to hurt anybody. With this last thought, she tried to get some sleep and little by little her breathing became slower and her eyelids heavier. Without being conscious Angelina fell asleep.

The light of the bright morning seeped through the window, making Angelina blink a couple of times to adjust to the lack of darkness. As soon as she noticed she wasn’t in her room she found herself lying next to Arthur giving her a clue of what had happened. He looked so fragile with his slow breathing, that Angelina couldn’t believe he was the same man who took someone’s ear off. With the pass of the years, she was more cling to the idea that people weren’t black or white, just different shades of grey. She'd seen it with her brothers and father. They’d always been kind and lovely with her and Eva, but she was conscious that they weren’t one of the most powerful mafias in London for being kind. 

After some minutes of lying next to him, Angelina got up to get dressed and go to the train station. She was sitting on the edge of the bed putting her shoes when she felt a hand caressing her back. Smiling she turned around and took his hand on hers.

“Hi, you,” He said in a raspy voice.  
“Hi, you. Did you sleep well?”  
“Like a fucking log,” Arthur grinned and pulled her to his side “Where do you think you are going?”  
“To London. We can’t spend all day in bed” She returned his grin.  
“Who says so?”  
“All the homework I have to check.”  
“Fuck homework.”  
Angelina giggled “I think my students would agree with you,” She said before giving him a short kiss. When they heard steps and voices from the other side of the room, Angelina, though it would be better if she left before someone entered the room. “I really have to go,” She said clearly preferring to stay with him.  
“Okay, give me a minute and I’ll take you to the station.”  
“Arthur, Tommy asked me-“ Finn stopped talking when he saw Angelina and his brother “I-I didn’t see nothing.”  
“Finn could you please get out of here” Angelina could notice he was making a big effort for not yelling his brother to fuck off.  
“But Tommy needs- “  
“Tell him I’ll meet him in a minute.”  
“Okay” With that last word Finn left the room.  
“Sorry I can’t take you to the station.”  
“Don’t worry I’ll survive” She joked and was about to leave the bed when Arthur grabbed her hand.  
“I’m going to have a fight tomorrow night; would you like to come?”  
“Sure” she grinned “I’ll be in the first row” She gave him one last kiss and left before he came up with another excuse to keep her there.

The Shelby’s house wasn’t the best place to have a walk of shame considering there were lots of people coming and going. Luckily for her, she made her way without running into nobody. She was just a few steps away from the door, she would make it. And that was the moment when she crashed into an old but beautiful woman. She was so close! Angelina didn’t know what to do. Should she say hi? Apologize? Ignore her and run to the door? The last one sounded very rude. However, the woman just gave her a quick look and kept walking. She didn’t wait to crash into someone else, so she walked quickly towards the door. 

The journey to London wasn’t as long as she expected. As soon as she entered to her house (she wasn’t used to saying she lived in a mansion no matter how many years pass), Angelina went straight to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. There she met Alannah sobbing while washing the dishes. 

“Allie?” She asked placing a hand on her friend’s back. Alannah didn’t answer, just hugged Angelina. “Allie, what is it?”  
“Angie I don’t know what to do” She tried to spoke despite the tears.  
“Listen” She gently broke the hug and looked at her eyes “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”  
“I’m pregnant” She started to cry again “Angie what I’m going to do?” Angelina saw her last night fear reflected in her friend.  
“Are you sure? I mean… sometimes it comes a few days later.” Alannah shook her head “Does he know?”  
She shook her head again “I don’t know if I should tell him.”  
“Alanna he must know.”  
“Angie I’m so scared. What if he doesn’t recognise is his?”  
“I know my brother Allie; he might be an idiot sometimes but he loves you and he would never leave you on your own.” She put a lock of hair behind her ear “Look, you’ve been part of this family since the day you and your mother came to work here. We will never turn our backs on you, regardless of what Vincent decides to do.”

Alannah was only sixteen when she and her mother stepped into the Dominici’s mansion for the first time. She remembered thinking they had no chance of getting a job there due to most wealthy families didn’t want to hire black people and if they did, they treated them disrespectfully. But when Dominici showed respect and that he actually cared about their hard work and not the colour of their skin she knew things would be fine.

As time passed, her relationship with the siblings became stronger, especially with Vincent. The first time she saw him, Alannah was setting the table. He had come with a beautiful smile on his face to introduce himself. She must have frozen because Vincent had to ask her name for the second time. He looked as handsome as those actors from the pictures, that was her first thought when she saw him smile. She wasn’t the only one who thought that, after all, Vincent was very good looking and girls didn’t miss that fact.

However, he wasn’t into them. The girls he knew were shallow and full of prejudices, Alannah wasn’t like that at all. She loved playing sports, she was smart and her sense of humour matched Vincent’s. That’s why they spent so much time together, that’s how as the years passed they started to fall for each other. They were aware of the prejudices that surrounded their relationship, but Vincent hated the idea of giving her up just because of some narrow-minded. Despite Vincent’s complains, Alannah insisted in keep their relationship secret saying that it was the best for both of them. 

The only ones who knew about that relationship were Angelina and Eva, and it was because they found them kissing when they thought they were alone. Angelina hated to recognize it, but she knew there was a probability that something like that would happen. She loved his brother, and she really hoped he did the right thing.

The time until Vincent reached his house passed incredibly slowly for the two friends. Alannah had never felt so nervous in her whole life, she wanted to think that Vincent would recognise his son, that they both would start a family together. After all, he said that he loved her and she believed him. However, she had heard stories about girls like her who were told things like that to open her legs. But Vincent wasn’t like those guys, and at the same time, those girls thought the same thing in that moment. It was around midnight when Alannah found herself in her bedroom thinking about what she would say to Vincent when a knock on her door took her back to reality.

“Who is it?” She asked sitting on the edge of her bed.  
“It’s me, Vinny, Angelina told me you wanted to see me.”  
“Come in.” Vincent entered with a lovely smile that faded away when he saw her expression “We need to talk.”  
“What is it?” He asked concerned.  
“I’m pregnant.” In her head, she had prepared a good speech but at the end of the day, she only wanted to know if Vincent wanted to have that child with her and she preferred to go straight to the point.  
“You…A-are you sure?” Alannah nodded “Oh god…” He knelt in front of her and place his hands on her waist “Since how long you know this?”  
She started to feel a lump in the throat “T-two weeks ago.”  
“Why didn’t you tell me?”  
“I was scared” As she blinked a tear went down her cheek “I was scared of what you would do.”  
“What did you think I was going to do?”  
“I don’t know…leave me. Don’t recognise your child.”  
“Allie, how can you think I would do something like that?” He was clearly hurt by her girlfriend’s comment.  
“I don’t think you would be capable of such a thing but…” She sobbed “I’ve heard stories--“  
“Allie” He interrupted her knowing what she was going to say “I would never ever do that to you.”  
“So what are going to do?”  
“That’s on you.”  
“What you mean?”  
“If you are willing to marry me.”  
Alannah couldn’t believe what she was hearing “Vincent…”  
“I know I’m not exactly prince charming,” He said while cupping her hands “But I promise that as long as we are together, I’ll do my best to deserve you. So, what do you say?”  
“Yes! Yes!” Alannah said pulling her arms around his neck and fulling him with kisses “Million times yes…” She whispered in his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think in order to improve my writing and you enjoy what you read :)


	7. Chapter 7

The boxing match would start in half an hour and Tommy had to get ready to meet Angelina and take her to see his brother. The day before, as soon as his short meeting with Tommy finished, Arthur had asked him to do him a favour. The word favour coming from Arthur's lips weren’t always something good. Noticing his brother’s expression, he cleared up he only needed him to make company to a girl during his fight. 

Despite his answer was a short “Okay” and his expression was neutral, Tommy’s mind was full of questions and suspicions. He had a clue of who Arthur’s date was, probably the same girl who had been with him in the gipsy party and the Garrison. She didn’t seem dangerous, but he hadn’t seen her before and that was enough for him to mistrust. Pretty mysterious girl, sounded a lot like Grace. He would meet Angelina and do what he did best, get information.

“You think she is going to be there?” Polly asked leaning against the wall frame.  
“I would be surprised if she wasn’t” Tommy answered while tightening his tie knot.  
“I hope we’re wrong,” She admitted tiredly.  
“Me too Poll…me too.”  
Angelina was about to enter the building when she heard her name: “Angelina?” She turned around to meet a man a bit taller than her “Are you, Angelina?”  
“Yes.”  
“I’m Thomas Shelby, Arthur’s brother” Tommy shook her hand.  
“I’m Angelina” She smiled “I’m a bit confused, Arthur didn’t tell me you would come.”  
“We both thought that it was better for all of us if I came, just in case someone forgets his manners.”  
“Well, that’s very kind of you, thank you.” 

As they walked into the building, Tommy tried to find something in her aspect that gave him a clue about her. But her dress was simple, she didn’t wear a neckless or something that said anything about her. As they were waiting for the fight to start, Tommy saw Angelina was distracted and took the chance:

“Sorry I didn’t hear your surname.”  
“Mh? Oh, I didn’t tell you?”  
Tommy could tell she was making time to come up with a fake surname “I’m afraid not.”  
“Ricci.” As soon as she heard the ring, Angelina turned her face to watch the fight.

Tommy could tell he had caught her out of guard. Maybe she wasn’t a spy but she was hiding something and she was with his brother, he didn’t need more reasons to distrust her. Angelina, unlike Tommy, had her mind focused on the fight. She was very impressed to be honest, the way Arthur blocked the punches and threw them. As she was watching him fight, Angelina felt like someone was staring at her. 

Discreetly, she turned her head to the left and her eyes met the man's who was looking at her. He quickly looked away and started to move through the crowd to reach the entrance. Angelina was sure she had seen that face somewhere else, and when she remembered who he was, her heart began to beat faster.

“I’m not feeling well, I'm going to take some fresh air.” Angelina tried to sound as calm as possible.  
“You okay?”  
“Yeah yeah, I feel a bit suffocated that's all.”  
“Okay, I’ll take you outside.”  
“No it’s not necessary, I’ll be here in a minute.” She gave a small smile before left. 

Tommy followed her with his gaze until she got lost in the crowd. He could tell she was nervous, the reason? He didn't know. 

“Teo I already know it’s you!” Angelina called before making sure they were alone. Recognising his defeat, he stopped running and walked to her. “Who sent you?”  
“Angie, what are you doing with these people?”  
“I asked first, and don’t you dare to lie to me.”  
Teo sighed “You were travelling a lot to Birmingham and you acted a bit strange…”  
“A name Teo.”  
“Christian was worried-“  
“Oh my god, …does he knows?”  
“No. Not yet”  
“Teo please don’t say anything.” She pleaded conscious of the mess she would be in if her eldest brother found out “Chris would kill me.”  
“And I don’t blame him. God Angie with all the guys on the planet you had to choose a Shelby?”  
“That’s none of your business.”  
“It is if your brother sends me to follow you.”  
“Teo I know you since we were kids, please just do me this favour.”  
“You said it, we know since we were kids. It's not just orders Angie, I don’t want to see you hurt.”  
“Teo…” Angelina felt the time running, she was supposed to be taking fresh air.  
His face showed the struggle inside his head “Promise me you’ll let me know if things go to shit.”  
“You won’t tell?”  
“No. At least not now.”  
“Thanks” She gave him a quick kiss in the cheek and run to meet Tommy.

When Angelina took her place, the fighting was a few minutes to be over. Both opponents looked fatigued. However, while Arthur seemed to hold out a few more rounds, his opponent's face showed quite the contrary. 

“You feel better now?” Tommy asked.  
“Yes, thank you I just needed fresh air.” She gave him a quick smile before focus again on Arthur.

With a final knock out, Arthur’s opponent fell on the ring. The crowd began to cheer and clap and Angelina didn’t waste a second to join them. She seemed happy for Arthur’s victory, she didn’t seem dangerous, but again, neither did Grace. As soon as he stepped down from the ring, Arthur went to meet Angelina and his brother.

“Congratulations brother” Tommy praised with a small smile.  
“Thanks,” He said still tired for the fight “Did you have fun or did you regret it?” He asked Angelina half joking half serious.  
“I actually had a lot of fun” She grinned.  
“Do you want to join us in the Garrison?”  
“I’d love to but I have class tomorrow morning.”  
“Okay, I'll take a shower and then I'll walk you-“  
“To the station?” She smiled.  
Amused by her attitude Arthur chuckled “See you later Tommy, and thanks” He added before leaving.  
“It was a pleasure Mr Shelby” Angelina shook his hand.  
“The placer was mine” He answered.

Like most nights, the hall was quiet and dark except for the fireplace that lighted up and full the place with the sound of the fire crackling. It wasn’t the first time Tommy sat on that couch with a scotch in his hand while thinking about important matters. It was almost midnight and Arthur hadn’t arrived yet. He hoped he did in order to talk about Angelina. Speaking of the Devil, Arthur stepped into the house trying to don't make any noise.

“Arthur?” Tommy called.  
“Hey, I didn’t know you were awake” He sat on an individual couch in front of Tommy.  
“Do you want a drink?”  
“Sure why not?”  
Tommy got up to serve his brother a drink “Angelina could catch the train?”  
“Yeah. By the way, what do you think about her?”  
“She is pretty,” He said while handing him a drink.  
“You know what I mean.”  
“I don’t know Arthur I haven’t spoken with her that much.” He sat again on the couch.  
“Well, when you do you gonna love her.”  
Tommy looked away from the fireplace to his brother when he heard the word love “Arthur, how serious is your relationship with her?”  
“Don’t know Tommy. We have a good time that’s all.”  
“Well, actually that’s what I wanted to talk about.” Arthur didn’t answer but his deep sigh showed he didn’t like where that conversation was going “For how long have you been dating?”  
“Are you interrogating me? Your own brother?”  
“If his safety is in danger then yes.”  
“What the fuck does that mean?” He snapped.  
“It means, Arthur, that you barely know this girl, where she comes from and you are letting her in in your life.”  
“Are you suggesting that a girl like her, would be with me only to get information?” Just when he was getting used to the idea of Angelina being with him for who he was, his brother had to increase his insecurities.  
“That’s not what I said.”  
“You didn’t have to” Arthur got up from his couch “You know what Tommy? Not every fucking girl is like Grace.” He started to walk towards the door when Tommy’s voice stopped him.  
“Do you know her surname?” Arthur didn’t turn around. Didn’t answer “She said it was Ricci, just keep it in mind.”  
“You’re sick Tommy” Arthur murmured before leaving the room.

Tommy realised he had pushed things too far this time, but he had no other choice. He didn't want to hurt him but he knew that despite his reputation, Arthur's weak spot was that he trusted too much. After all, he trusted in his father when he came back after all the things he had done. Tommy wasn't just the leader of the Peaky Blinders, he was the leader of the family. And that implied save them from themselves, even if it meant breaking their hearts.


	8. Chapter 8

The last two weeks had been so chaotic that Tommy couldn’t research Angelina as much as he would like to. He barely knew her and the fact that Arthur didn’t speak to him didn’t make things any easier. He was checking some papers when he heard a knock on his door.

“Come in,” He said without lifting his head from the documents.  
“How is your research going?” Polly asked before taking a seat.  
“Straight to the point uh?” He took off his glasses “I didn’t have enough time to do it. But I’ll start soon.”  
“When? When we have twenty Birmingham cops in our door?”  
“We don’t know yet if she is an agent.”  
“And we will never if you don’t start doing your job-“  
“Polly” Tommy cut her off, “I said I would handle it and I will. Now, if that’s all…”  
“No, it’s not all. Because unlike you, I was thoughtful enough to keep Arthur in my side.”  
“Keep going.”  
“You were right; he doesn’t know her surname. But he told me she is a teacher in the school near the factory, has four siblings, is Italian and lives in London.”  
“He told you all that in a conversation?”  
“That’s the result of two weeks of ‘casual’ conversation,” She said proudly of herself “You are not the only one who knows how to get information” Without adding one more word, Polly left the office. 

His aunt was right; it was thoughtless to pull Arthur against him but what’s done was done. He would send someone to go to Angelina’s school where there was probably a file with all her information. Tommy decided to follow Polly’s advice and get down to work. Finn was a friend of a young secretary on the school, he was sure his brother could get him Angelina’s file.  
As he was walking down the street, Tommy went to the cinema to buy some tickets Adda had asked him. The man in the box office was giving him his change when he added.

“Nice woman, the one your brother is dating.”  
“Excuse me?”  
“Oh don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mean-“  
Tommy raised his hand to cut him off “I know. She must come here very frequent if you know her so well.”  
“Know is a strong word. She seems kind for what I’ve seen. She knows a lot about films and brings her students to the pictures from time to time.”  
“It’s not a bit expensive?”  
“Yeah that’s what I thought, but she has no problem in paying their tickets.”  
Tommy thought for a few seconds about what the man said and then spoke again “You said she likes films?”  
“Fucking love them, we always talk about it. She can name all the actors and their movies...coming to think about it, I think she is going to a premiere in London.”  
“Really?”  
“Yeah, those kind of events are very exclusive. I’ve even heard Charlie Chaplin is going to be there. She promised that if she saw him she would give me his autograph.”  
“Do you know how did she get the tickets?”  
“Is this an interrogation?” The man chuckled and cut himself off when he saw Tommy’s expression kept neutral. He tried to jog his memory “She said that it was from a friend who couldn’t go so she gave them to her.”  
“I see…” Tommy was in his element “Well I have to go, keep the change.”  
“Thanks, Mr Shelby” The man smiled.  
“No, thank you.” He said before living.

The event took place in a large urban theatre with a very decorative Baroque style. The place was so big that could seat about two thousand guests. Below the screen, there was a full orchestral accompaniment to follow the storytelling. The theatre was as sophisticated as the people there. Even if she was conscious where she came from, Angelina couldn’t help but feel beautiful and glamorous in her long white gown. 

“Hey, Angie” Tony was sat next to her.  
“Mh?”  
“Thanks again for inviting me.”  
Angelina’s red lips curved tenderhearted by his younger brother “Who else could I invite?”

Tony and Angelina had always been very close and after France even more. The fact that their age gap was small, only three years difference, also helped. Both enjoyed films so much that when they were kids, they skipped school to sneak into the pictures. Of course one day their father caught them and they couldn’t do it anymore. 

The movie wasn’t as good as Angelina had expected it, however, the music was beautiful. The main character was trying to escape from prison when Angelina heard murmuring behind her. She turned her head to find who was talking, she wished she hadn’t done that. It was two old ladies who were staring at her and looked away when she caught them. 

She didn’t need to be next to them to know what they were saying: “Look, it’s Dominici’s daughter” “Give them a bit of money and they already think they’re rich” “Did you know her father is a gangster?” “She shouldn’t be here". Angelina knew all those quotes and a hundred more by heart. She didn’t mind what those people said about her, but when it came to her family that was a different story.

At the end of the film, the fugitive could get his freedom and reach the island that hid a valuable treasure. As “The End” appeared on the screen, everybody sat up and started to clap. Unlike Angelina, Tony had loved the movie, he said classics never got old. They were at the entrance of the theatre waiting for a car to take them to a party when Angelina saw a familiar face.

“Tony do me a favour,” She asked when she noticed Tommy was walking towards her “Go to the party, I’ll catch you up later.”  
“You sure?”  
“Yeah, I saw a friend and I would like to talk to her.”  
“Okay, see you at the party,” He said before go and catch a taxi.  
“Goodnight Miss Ricci,” Tommy said with a cigarette in his hand.  
“Goodnight Mr Shelby.”  
“I must admit I’m a bit impressed, I didn’t know that Birmingham teachers wore satin dresses.”  
“What do you want Mr Shelby?”  
“Well since you ask, I have a lot of questions as you can imagine. But I’m afraid we’ll need to discuss it somewhere a little more private.”  
“There is a nice place near here, would you like to have dinner?”  
“Sounds perfect.”

Three blocks near the theatre, there was a fancy restaurant with a hall full of people waiting for their turn. Angelina didn’t seem to mind because as soon as she walked in, a waiter escorted them to a table.

“Did you make a reservation?” Tommy asked once he sat down.  
“No.”

A couple of seconds after another waiter went to their table to hand them the menu.

“Thank you,” Angelina said with a polite smile and the man left “Are you going to start interrogation now or will you wait for dessert?”  
“You seem very calm considering the situation you are in.”  
“I’m not afraid of you Mr Shelby.”  
“I haven’t given you any motives to be afraid yet.”  
“Is that a threat?”  
“If you push me too far, yes.”  
“You know something? You are not as dangerous as you think you are” Angelina knew most people there, and she knew they would do whatever she asked just because of her surname “Maybe in Birmingham you are used to be a shark but I can assure you, Mr Shelby, that here in London you are just a little fish.” Despite her kindness, Angelina, as well as her brothers, had to learn to be intimidating in order to make it out alive from some situations.  
“May I take your orders?” The waiter arrived cutting the tension in the air.  
“What would you recommend?” Tommy asked.  
“Well all in the menu is delicious sir, but I would ask the Island duck with mulberry mustard, is today’s speciality.”  
“The duck will be then.”  
“And the lady?”  
“Lamb salad with fregola.”  
“What will you drink?”  
“Red wine.”  
“Gnarly Head or Gironville?”  
“I’ll leave it up to you.”  
“Your orders will be ready in a minute.”  
“Thanks,” Both said.  
“Would you mind telling me what you were doing in the premiere?”  
“Do I have a choice?”  
“No,” He said lighting up a cigarette “Not really.”  
“I like films and my friend knew the director so he got me tickets. As far as I know, going to premieres it’s not a crime.”  
“No, it isn’t” He took a puff “But it’s not right either say that you are poor and then go to private events with expensive dresses.”  
“Thomas Shelby is going to give me a preaching about what’s right and wrong?” She mocked “What a world we live in.”  
“I hope you keep that sense of humour when Arthur come asking for explanations."

Angelina knew it wasn’t too smart of her to mock at Tommy. But what shall she do? Let him treat her as he pleased? She wasn’t an ordinary girl, not anymore. The truth was that she was afraid, and being afraid made her furious. She was tired of people spying on her when she hadn’t done anything wrong. 

“I’m not a bad person.”  
“That doesn’t mean you aren't hiding something.”  
For the first time, Angelina looked away from Tommy’s eyes “Have you heard about Dante Dominici?”  
“He owns the most important casino in London.”  
Angelina nodded “He is my father” She couldn’t read his face “As you may know, he is involved in other things besides his casino.”  
“That’s right.”  
“People know it too. I see it in their eyes when they look at me and my siblings. I know they talk behind my back" She couldn't believe she was giving him explanations "I went to Birmingham to teach because nobody knows me there. Tell me, have you ever wished to go somewhere where nobody knows your name?”  
“No.”  
“Not even to have a bit of peace?”  
“Miss Dominici if I'd wanted peace I would’ve been a drunk like my father.”  
“I see; fame is more important.”  
“I would say recognition.”  
“Is there a difference?” 

The waiter arrived with their dishes and the bottle of wine. After pouring the drink in their cups, the man left after wishing them bon appétit. Tommy frowned his eyebrows for the French expression. 

“What about Arthur?” He asked before tasting his dish.  
“What about him?”  
“I thought we’d already skipped the part where you answered my questions with another question.”  
“I met him in Alannah’s birthday party. He seemed very sad, so I asked him to dance”  
“For pity?”  
“So we could have fun” She answered clearly offended.  
“Miss Dominici, my brother is not a toy, much less a rich girl’s adventure to call her daddy’s attention.”  
The only thing that stopped Angelina from stabbing her knife in Tommy’s throat was the understanding of his worry for his brother “I’m not that kind of girl.”  
“Really?”  
“Really.”  
“So tell me, if he isn’t just an adventure, have you told your family about him?” Angelina didn’t answer “Maybe your friends?” No answer, she was trying her best to fight the tears “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”  
“I really…” She gulped “I care about him.”  
“There aren't many things we can do with words” His blue eyes were piercing her “I give you three days. If by that time you haven’t told him the truth, I’ll have very clear how much you care about my brother. I don’t care who your father is; I don’t want to see you in Birmingham if you are not willing to take him seriously.”  
"Is that all?" She asked wishing that scene to be over soon.  
"I have nothing else to say" Angelina didn't bother in hiding the anger in her eyes and got up from her seat "You haven't touched your meal," Tommy said after swallowing a chunk of duck.  
"I'm not hungry," She said taking her purse "and I'm late for a party," Angelina added before leaving. 

Thomas Shelby loved to play dirty, his sharp words made it clear. Was he right? Was Arthur just an adventure for her? She didn't cry just because she felt humiliated, she cried because she was afraid that Tommy was right.

After the boxing fight, Arthur and Angelina kept dating frequently and every time they spoke it was so easy that it felt like they had known each other for years. When she was with him she felt like she was the best part of herself and felt, paradoxically, she could tell him anything. He wasn't a toy, he was the first man she had fallen for. Angelina had made a decision, tomorrow Arthur and she were supposed to have dinner in a restaurant in Birmingham, she would tell him the truth that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have more of Arthur and Angelina together I promise <3


	9. Chapter 9

Arthur’s head was resting in her chest while he listened to her heartbeat. He could smell her perfume, a sweet fragrance that took him to a special place he had never been before. Angelina was staring at the ceiling, her fingers wandering in Arthur’s back. She couldn’t help but hoping that wasn't the last time they had made love. Angelina hated that phrase, she thought it sounded too corny, but that’s what they had done. 

She wanted to tell him the truth in the restaurant. In case things went wrong, she could just go out of there and catch her train. But she knew it wasn’t a good place to confess something like that. Angelina promised herself she would tell him when they reached his home in order to discuss things quietly. Unfortunately, things happened so fast that when she realised, Arthur was taking her slowly and gently as if he didn’t want that moment to end. 

Angelina remembered looking at his deep blue eyes while he was thrusting her. She felt that moment was the most intimate they’d had. Other men had seen her naked before, but Arthur was seeing her. He was making love to her, not her body. Angelina kept telling herself her lie wasn’t that bad, it always could be worse. But Arthur had trusted her and she lied to him. She didn’t want him to think that she was like other people in his life that had taken him for a fool. Arthur deserved better, he deserved someone who could be honest with him. Angelina was willing to be that person if he was willing to give her a second chance.

“Arthur, are you sleeping?”  
“Yes,” He answered in a raspy voice.  
“So how can you answer?”  
“I talk in my sleep.”  
“No, you don’t.”  
Without lifting his head Arthur smiled with amusement “What is it, sweetheart?”  
Angelina took a deep breath “I need to tell you something but I need you to let me finish.”

Arthur didn’t like how that sounded, nothing that began with ‘I need to tell you something’ could be good. He wanted to believe it wasn’t what he thought, it wasn’t what his brother had warned him about. But it didn’t matter what he wanted, after all, what mattered was what she had to say.

“Is something bad?”  
“I’m afraid it is” Angelina could hear the fear in her voice “It’s about something I didn’t tell you.”  
“Something like a secret?”  
She felt her heart racing “Yes.”  
“Something related to important people?” Arthur didn’t want to know the answer but again, it didn’t matter what he wanted.

Angelina was starting to wonder if Tommy had already talked to him about her family. She didn’t need to be a genius to tell he didn’t like her but, where was the point in giving her three days to say the truth if he was going to do it for her anyway? 

“Did you already know?”

Without wasting a second, Arthur left the bed and started to put his clothes. Tommy warned him and he didn’t listen, now it was time to pay for the broken dishes. It happened the same thing with his father and Alfie, he trusted people and was taken by a fool. 

“Get out of my fucking bed!” He barked.  
“Arthur” Angelina knew there was the possibility he would be mad, but she hadn’t expected such an extreme reaction.  
“Now!”  
“Arthur please calm down.”  
“Calm down?” He asked as he hadn’t heard right “Listen me clear your filthy whore if you don’t leave now I’m going to break your little neck” He seemed to struggle to contain all his anger “My brother warned me about you and I didn't listen” He said more to himself than her "I don't want to see you in Birmingham no more."

Like a hurricane, Arthur left the room slamming the door. Even if she hadn’t been the most honest person in the world, Angelina didn’t deserve to be treated like that. With anger in her eyes, she left the bed and started to button her dress and put her shoes. With small sobs, she tried to put the hairpins in her curls, but her hands were trembling so bad that she just put them in her purse. As soon as Angelina left the room she ran into Tommy who came out of his room woken up by the noise.

“Thanks for giving me the opportunity to tell him.” She said sarcastically and left the house without looking back.

Despite the hall was dark, Tommy didn’t need to much light to know his brother was sitting on one of the couches. He didn’t say anything, just sat in front of Arthur who was resting his head in his palms. 

“I guess you already know.”  
“Yeah, are you going to say I told you?”  
“No.”  
“Of course not, Tommy Shelby is a fucking gentleman” His brother didn’t answer “But you were right, I should have asked her surname when you told me to do it.”  
“Why you didn’t?”  
“I thought that if I did, it meant that I didn’t trust her.” He let out a bitter chuckle “I loved her”. Despite the anger in his voice, his brother could feel the pain in his words “I fucking loved her and she turned out to be a fucking spy.”  
Tommy frowned his eyebrows “What?”  
“What you heard” This time he looked at him “You were right.”  
“She told you that?” Even if he didn’t like to admit it, Tommy didn’t have a fucking clue of what was going on.  
“She said that she had a secret related to important people, it was obvious she talked about agents and cops.” Tommy closed his eyes with frustration "Don't worry as you could see she is on the past now."  
“Arthur…” Tommy had screwed up his brother’s mind making him believe that the only person who could make him happy was an agent, and he was the only one to blame “That wasn’t the fucking secret.”  
“What you mean?”  
He breathed a sigh “I followed her yesterday-”  
“You did what?”  
“Arthur please this is important. She lied but she didn’t betray you. She loves you too much to do that.”  
“How do you know?”  
“Because I told her that if she wasn’t willing to tell you the truth she couldn’t see you anymore.”  
“And what is the fucking truth?”  
“You’ll have to ask her.”

Arthur didn’t need more encouragement, he quickly took his coat and left the house. As he was running to the station, he started to remember all the things he had yelled at her. What an asshole, he should have waited for her to say what she wanted to say instead of rushing to judgement. The station was empty except for a young woman lying against the wall.

“Angelina!” He called catching her attention and ran towards her.  
“Are you here to break my little neck?” She asked once he was in front of her.  
“I made a mistake” He admitted “A huge fucking mistake.”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“I thought you were an agent.”  
“Why?” She said as if he had said the most absurd thing in the world.  
“Tommy said-“  
“You know what I don’t want to know” She was angry enough for the recent scene, hear about Tommy’s conspiracies couldn’t bring anything good to her mood.  
“I’m sorry. I know I should give a better apologize but I’m not good with this shit.”  
“Apologize?” She asked raising an eyebrow.  
“Admit that I’m wrong.”

Angelina saw the regret in his eyes, but she couldn’t forget how he had treated her in his room. If she hadn't known him better, she would've thought that at any moment he would choke her. 

“You hurt me, Arthur.”  
“I know, but I promise I’m going to fix it if you let me.”  
“How?”  
“Well, first of all, you and your sister won’t need to live in that shit hole anymore. I’m going to buy you a beautiful flat near the school so you don’t have to travel so much.”  
“Wait,” Angelina thought he had found out about her fortune and that’s why he had come back “You still don’t know the secret?”  
“Forget about the fucking secret. Angie do you love me?”  
“Yes,” She recognized “It would be easier if I didn’t, but yes.”  
“That’s all I need to know” And then he cupped her cheeks and bowed his head to kiss her. 

Angelina’s lips were soft and tasted to strawberries for her lipstick. Arthur damned himself if he couldn’t kiss those lips anymore for his stupidity. She confessed she loved him, she didn’t mind what other people thought about him. She was perfect for him, and he would do his best to deserve her.

“Arthur wait,” She asked gently breaking the kiss.  
“I know I’m a fucking mess-“  
“No, it's not that” Angelina cut him off “I’m a Dominici.”  
“So?”  
“Arthur” Angelina wanted to make it as clear as possible “My father is Dante Dominici.”  
“You mean…that Dante Dominici?” Angelina nodded “One of the wealthiest men in London?” She nodded again and Arthur chuckled “That’s a good one love” When he saw her expression hadn't changed he stopped laughing “Oh, you are serious.”  
"Arthur I'm Italian, I live in London" Angelina didn't know how to prove him this time she was telling the truth "Try to remember what I told you about my siblings. I'm sure that if you've heard about my father you know about them too."

Little by little Arthur remembered her siblings and the penny dropped. Chris was Christian Dominici, one of the most respectable lawyers and known for never losing a case. Vincent was Vinny tick tock, people started to call him like that after he smashed someone’s face in a floor clock. Anthony was Tony ha-ha, he earned that nickname due to his tendency to laugh whenever they tortured an enemy. And of course, there was Eva and Angelina Dominici. They weren’t known for their brutality but for being beautiful and intriguing. When Arthur saw Angelina it was like he had a completely different person in front of him.

“You…” Angelina didn’t answer, she waited for him to assimilate the new information “Why didn’t you tell me?"  
“I didn’t want you to love me because of my father's money.”  
"Sweetheart, I couldn't care less about the money now."  
"I see...and what if I told you that my father won't send me any penny if he knows that I'm dating a Shelby?"  
"I would tell you I'll work like a fucking horse to give you the lifestyle you are used to."  
Angelina smiled with tenderness "I don't want your money Arthur" She explained wrapping her arms around his neck "I just want you" She pressed her lips against his.  
“So…it’s everything okay? Between us?”  
“Yes,” She grinned “Now, can we go to your house? I’m very tired.”  
“Love, nothing would make me happier” That said, Arthur lifted her in his arms.  
“Arthur, what are you doing?” Angelina couldn’t suppress her laughter.  
“I said I would fix my mistakes and that’s what I’m going to do, starting by now.” He explained walking towards his house.  
“Arthur Shelby, you are one of a kind.”  
“I hope that’s something good.”  
“It is” She smiled giving him a kiss on the cheek.


	10. Chapter 10

Unlike other times, it was a quiet Sunday morning in the Shelby house. That shouldn't be weird considering that many people tended to be tired at the end of a long week. After all, the average schedule consisted of working from Monday to Friday, Saturday in some cases. But the Shelbys weren’t ordinary and much less had averages schedules. That’s why quiet mornings were so welcoming when they happened. 

It was noon when Arthur woke up feeling more refreshed than usual, he could tell it was a bit late. But he didn’t care much. The eldest Shelby brother had his attention focused on Angelina, who was lying on his chest. He had forgotten how it felt like waking up with the same person from the night before. Someone who would share his bed after sex just to sleep with him. Little by little, Angelina woke up too.

“Morning” She lifted her head and gave him a lazy smile.  
“Morning” He caressed her back.  
“I’m hungry.”  
Arthur chuckled “Aunt Poll must be making breakfast, why don’t you go to the kitchen and I’ll catch you up in a minute?”  
“Mm…In that case, I’ll wait ‘til I don’t feel hunger anymore.”  
“Are you afraid of her?”  
“Of course I am,” She said as if it was obvious, “I think she hates me.”  
“She doesn’t hate you, she just doesn’t trust you.”  
“Thanks, that definitely makes me feel better.”  
“Try to put you on her place, we can’t just trust every new person who comes into our lives.” After a few seconds, he spoke again “Just try to talk to her.”  
“And where will you be?”  
“I told you, I’ll catch you up in a minute.” He gave her a smug smile and Angelina a killing look.

The kitchen was silent except for the noise of the bacon and sausages being cooked in the pan. The room was filled with the scent of meat and fresh-made coffee. She didn’t know if the fact that Polly had her back turned against her while making breakfast, made things easier or more difficult. With a small knock on the door frame, Angelina caught her attention.

“Good morning.”  
“Morning” She turned her head and focused her attention back to the breakfast.  
“Thanks for breakfast,” Angelina said while taking a sit “You shouldn’t have bothered.”  
“Arthur would starve rather than cook himself. So I don’t have too many options. Coffee?”  
“Yes, please. It's too quiet, where is everybody?”  
“In the office doing some paperwork, the world doesn’t stop just because it’s Sunday.” She said placing the cup of coffee in front of Angelina.  
“Tell me.”  
“Arthur told me you are a teacher.”  
“Yes, I started to teach in the school near the factory this year.”  
“Do you like it?”  
“Yeah, it can be a bit tiring sometimes. But one way or another those kids make it worth it. Now it’s summer holidays so I can rest a bit.” She said giving a small smile.  
“In that case, you need to take advantage of that time to save energy. Being with Arthur takes a lot of it, especially if you have another episode like last night.”  
“Excuse me?”  
“Well, you made a nice scene yesterday.”  
“Yeah, sorry about that. It was a misunderstanding.”  
“I see…” She said placing the bacon and sausages on a plate “Do you tend to have too many misunderstandings?” She asked mischievously.  
Angelina didn’t like where that conversation was going “If people mind their own business I usually don’t” She explained referring to Tommy.  
For a couple of seconds Polly didn't say anything, she just looked at her “Instinct is a funny thing." She finally spoke "See, normally I can tell about a person. But with you-“  
“Would you mind be more specific?” Angelina asked thinking it was very early to start playing games.  
“I know who you are. At this point, I guess Arthur knows as well. Turns out that Tommy told me about you this morning. As you may know, we’ve had experiences with pretty girls hiding secrets. I’m sure you could tell that Arthur is not very stable, and the last thing he needs is more surprises” Angelina didn’t answer “You won’t say anything?”  
“What’s the point? It’s my actions, not my words what matter, right?”  
“But you already showed me your actions. The effect of your actions at least” Angelina didn’t know what she was talking about “I see it in the way Arthur’s temper changed. It’s not a big change. But it’s better than his old manners. That's why we're drinking coffee and not fighting. We owe you.”  
“I just want him to be happy. He’s been through a lot.”  
“You know, it’s only a matter of time before he forgets you lied to him. But I should tell you something. I won't and as long as you’re here, I’ll keep an eye on you.”  
“Arthur told me about you, the way you managed the business while your nephews were in France. And how you took care of them when their parents couldn’t. I know you don’t trust me, but it’s alright. You know why? Because I like you Polly. And I admire you. And sooner or later you are going to like me too.”  
“I wouldn’t be so confident about that dear. Once I make up my mind, it’s difficult to change my decision.”  
“But not impossible.”  
“Morning!” Arthur said while walking into the kitchen “Is everything okay?” He asked afraid of making a mistake leaving the two women alone in one room.  
“Yes, I think so…” Polly said still thinking on what Angelina told her “I’m going to the office, enjoy your breakfast” She said before leaving.  
“So…How was it?”  
“It could’ve been worse” Angelina admitted, “Do you have plans for today?”  
“That depends.”  
“On what?”  
“On what you have on mind.”

The sun was radiant as it could be on a typical summer day. Its crept into every corner filling the whole city in a warm glow. That Sunday, Small Heath seemed more lovely than other times, with the kids playing on the block and the absence of disturb. Looking at them made Angelina wonder how the Shelby siblings childhood must've been. 

"You won't tell me where we're going, won't you?"  
"I already told you, it's a surprise."  
"Yeah, you'll see. When it comes to me, surprises always end up fucking wrong."  
"That's because you were surprised by the wrong people. As long as you are with me, you won't need to worry about that."  
"I know that sweetheart. But I wouldn't mind having a clue at least."  
"You are like a kid sometimes you know?" She giggled "Okay, all I'll say is that I already know your world. Now you are going to know mine."

Walking down the London streets wasn't the smartest way to keep a relationship secret. They both were blessed and cursed by the same thing, their surnames. They could go unnoticed in small cities, but London wasn't a small city. Everybody knew who Angelina was and after that incident in The Eden Club, Arthur started to build a reputation too. The daughter of a gangster sleeping with the most womanizer Shelby. That would definitely make people talk, they would be a good topic for the next gatherings. 

However, there was only one thing deeper than the fear of what people would say, and that was pride. Angelina was proud of her choice, and she wanted to show him off like a diamond ring. She wanted everybody to see all the things she saw in him, despite knowing it was pointless since many people would only see what they wanted to see. Angelina had chosen a nice restaurant in the middle of the city. It was something between fancy and simple. She wanted him to feel important, give him all the attention he deserved. 

"Now I know how animals feel in the zoo."  
"What you mean?" She asked amused.  
"Everybody is looking at us."  
"That's because we look great together" She took his hand and caressed it with her thumb "Just focus on me, don't think about them."  
"Shit you are good at this."  
"What?"  
"Have all my attention" She grinned "Can I ask you something?"  
"Sure."  
"What does your father think about all this?"  
"I haven't told him yet, but I'll do it soon I promise" He didn't answer "Arthur?"  
"Mh?"  
"You believe me, right?"  
"Love, you could play me for a fool and I would be the last one to know."  
"I would never do that to you."  
"I know" He kissed her hand and gave her a small smile. 

The lunch was delicious, and not even all the looks could stop them from enjoying each other company. For the first time in so many years, Arthur felt he had something to feel proud of, someone to feel proud of. After finishing their dishes, the couple went to a hotel with an American style and little traces of English architecture. Once in the hall, Angelina took advantage that Arthur wasn't looking and paid for a suite.

"Angelina, you are not supposed to pay for everything," He said while they were walking towards the lift "It's enough that you had paid the lunch" She just rolled her eyes and was about to close the door when two old ladies came in.  
After the lift started to ascend, she spoke again this time more quietly to be as discreet as possible "Arthur, you already paid the other dates. I wanted to pay this time."  
"It's not right the woman pay." He answered in the same way when he noticed the women made a poorly disguised effort to listen to their conversation.  
"I told you before, as long as you are with me I'm going to make you feel like a king." She said wrapping her arm around his. 

At that moment, one of the women started to whisper to the other in what it seemed to be another language. Discreetly, Angelina tried to understand what they were saying. They were speaking in Spanish, and she could only catch a few words, "¿Por qué no guardan su afecto hasta llegar a su habitación?"

"Creanme que lo haría, pero no puedo esperar a que me folle como un animal" She gave them a smile completely innocent in contrast to what she had said. With horrified faces, the women left the lift before reaching to their floor.  
"What did you say to them?" Arthur asked pretty stranged by their reactions.  
"Nothing that isn't true," She smiled.


	11. Chapter 11

Arthur woke up panting and sweating. The nightmare replied in his head like a film made of rapid cuts that made no sense at all. His head was in his shaking hands and, slowly, he realized where and when he was. He watched his leg and arm muscles twitch and writhe beneath his skin looking like snakes crawling under a blanket. When his arms stopped shaking, he noticed Angelina sat by his side caressing his back and waiting for him to recover his breath. 

For a moment that neither of them knew how much it had last, they didn't say anything. In other circumstances, Arthur's first reaction would've been apologizing, give an explanation or just running away. But he was with Angelina, and the look on her eyes made clear it wasn't necessary to do none of those things. 

After recovering from his breathing, he finally spoke: "I'm sorry you had to-"  
"Don't. You don't have to do that. Not with me."  
"You shouldn't have seen that" He pinched his nose.  
"Why don't you tell me your dream? My brothers used to share their nightmares with me. They said that once they talked about it, it felt like they left their minds."  
"Aren't you tired from hearing nightmares?"  
"I'm more tired of looking the people that I love suffer."  
He didn't like the idea of tormenting Angelina with his nightmares from the war. But he wanted that memory off of his head and if she was willing to help him, why turn her offer down?  
"There are certain rules to tunnel warfare" Arthur started to explain "Don't turn on the light unless you're really sure you're alone. You have to use your senses and kill as quietly as you can. That means you can't shoot. Your only weapons are..."  
"Your hands."  
He nodded " I chased somebody into a tunnel, met him at a bend in the corner, in the dark. I thought I was alone and then I smelled his breath. And we had a wrestling match in the dark" He couldn't believe he was telling her that story "I got the upper hand and crashed this person trachea, held him down while he died. And then I got out" He would never forget that day "I beat and strangled someone to death in a tunnel, in the dark. That was the first time I killed someone. I don't usually dream about the war, but when I do, is always about that night."  
"It was instinct, Arthur. You had no choice."  
"I had a choice. I could choose not to kill that boy."  
"You chose to return to your family. Listen I won't say that I understand how you feel because I don´t. But I can tell you this, the only ones who should feel ashamed are the people who sent innocents to fights their battles."  
"Aren't you scared?"  
"Of you? No. Actually, I feel pretty safe" She kissed his temple "C'mon lets go to sleep."

There weren't more nightmares that day. It was late afternoon when they woke up again from their nap. If it had been for them, they would've never left that room. However, they both needed to return to their homes and their routines. Arthur was sitting on the edge of the bed putting his shoes on when Angelina hugged him from behind.

"I'll tell my father today."  
"Are you sure you wanna do it now?" He asked caressing her arm.  
"I don't wanna hide you. I just want to go out with you whenever and wherever we want. Without worrying if someone sees us. Don't you want that too?"  
"Of course" He turned his face to look at her "I just care about your reputation that's all."  
"Arthur I'm the daughter of a gangster, what reputation are you talking about?" She said making them both chuckle "We'll be fine I promise."  
"I know."

Angelina had already prepared the perfect speech on her mind, hoping that it'd convince her father to approve of her relationship with Arthur. However, a part of her knew that no matter how good she spoke about Arthur, his father would never forget the fact that he was a gangster. Even if it was a bit hypocrite from him, all he wanted for her daughters was for them to be save and have nothing to do with that lifestyle. But she had to try, even if that meant confront her father. With a small knock on the door, Angelina announced her presence.

"Who is it?" His father asked from his desk.  
"It's me, Angelina."  
"Come, sweetie."  
"Hi," She said entering the office "Too much work?"  
"Not more than other times" He smiled taking his glasses off "Tell me, what do you need?"  
"Well, there is something that I want to talk with you since a couple of weeks."  
"I'm hearing."  
"I'm seeing someone, and he is a good man. I think that you would like him."  
His father took a sigh before speaking "I see...And, do I know this person?"  
"I'm not sure, but you probably heard about him," Angelina didn't remember when was the last time she had to take so much courage "Arthur Shelby."  
"Yeah" His tone was everything but friendly "I've heard a couple of things about him."  
"He is not that bad. I understand that you probably don't have a good impression of him. But believe me, I see-"  
"Don't tell me. Under that, though reputation he is soft when he is with you. He makes you feel like you can change him, that he is his better version when he is with you."  
"It's not what you think. I'm not a teenager anymore. I can tell when a man is playing with me."  
"Angie, I've heard things about Arthur."  
"People say things about us too, don't act like if it didn't happen" This time his father didn't look at her "I know about Arthur dad, I've heard the stories too. But he is not the person they want us to think. Besides, if I'm with Arthur think about how helpful it would be for you to be associated with thePeaky Blinders."  
"Angie one of the many reasons I wanted you and Eva to have an education, it was for not selling you to another man. I won't prostitute none of my daughters to make an alliance."  
"I know" She left her chair and knelt next to her dad "Dad, I know that you are afraid, and I understand that you don't trust him. But we both know that I'm not that innocent either. Nobody in this family is but Eva. I appreciate everything you've done for me." This time she took his hand "But I know how to take care of myself, and I'm sure of my decision. Arthur and I will be together regardless of what you want. But I would really love to have you by my side and give me your support."  
What it only had seconds it felt like an eternity until Dante finally spoke: "Invite them to spend the weekend here."  
"Them?"  
"It's not just Arthur who I want to meet, I want to know the environment you are involved in. So see if you can convince the most important members of the Peaky Blinders to come."

Angelina didn't feel comfortable with the idea of inviting the whole Shelby family, considering that she didn't know most of them and two members didn't seem to like her. But her father had given her an opportunity and she felt forced to agree. Angelina hoped that after that meeting things would be better.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was longer than I expected so as Tarantino would do, I'm going to split it in two. The next chapter will have more details about the meeting and other things :)

It was a bright morning in the Dominici's mansion and, the only ones who were awake were the servants and Dante Dominici who was getting ready to welcome the Shelbys. He was in front of his bathroom mirror, shaving his face while thinking in the future meeting.

He would meet his possible son in law, but most important he would meet Thomas Shelby. Other fathers would have their minds focus on the man who was dating their daughter, but in Dante Dominici's world things were different. A long time ago, he learned that he never had to interfere in other couple's relationships. Even though Angelina was his daughter and he loved her with all his heart, she was a grown-up, and that meant she was free of making her own decisions. 

It didn't matter if he didn't like what he heard about Arthur, that was the man his daughter had chosen. After all, he didn't object when Vincent talked to him about his plans on marrying Alannah and moving with her. As long as their private lives didn't interfere with business, he would respect their choices. 

As it was mention before, the man who he cared about was Thomas Shelby. One of the reasons why Dominici could build himself an empire was because he had a sharp sense to tell a potential ally from a potential enemy. When he heard about the Peaky Blinders and how they were planning to expand to London, he couldn't help but consider them to help him with his problem. 

Two weeks ago, a man called Bruno Mancini came to his office to make him an offer he considered irresistible. As a man of power, Dominici had a lot of politicians and officers in his pocket, which was extremely convenient for Bruno who wanted his protection to export alcohol from London to New York where the prohibition was taking place. 

Dante didn't ignore the benefits of that business. However, Bruno didn't have in mind two important things. The first one was that, at this point, Dominici and his sons were very busy with other successful business, and if there was something he always kept in mind, that was that a man never has to take more than he can. Avarice was the main reason why so many empires had fallen. He had seen a lot of men risking all they had at the promise of more money and power. They were so blinded by their greed, that they couldn't anticipate the consequences. 

The other reason Dante had to not accepting Bruno's propose, was that the man was an idiot. He was too arrogant, and his temper was more uncontrolled than Vinnie's. That wasn't the kind of men Dominici made deals with. Of course, Dante was too sensible to say that in his face, so he just declined his propose politely. 

Mancini didn't like that at all, and he didn't wait too long to show his discontent. Five days after their meeting, Dante had suffered an attempt against his life, when he was living the church. He was lucky enough that Vinnie was with him to shot the aggressor and take his father to the hospital. The wound wasn't too serious considering that the bullet only hit in his shoulder. 

Of course, Dominici wouldn't forget the 'incident'. But the problem wasn't as easy to solve as it seemed. Bruno Mancini was the member of a respectable Italian family. And at the moment he pulled the trigger, a war between the two families had begun. He couldn't ask help to other Italian families because, like romantic relationships, they didn't interfere unless it affected their business. Since the failed attempt, nobody had heard about Bruno. He was hiding, and nobody blamed him. Try to kill Dante Dominici was a death warrant. The fact that everybody knew Dante's soldiers didn't help him to find his target. That's why he needed the Peaky Blinders. They weren't Italian, their men weren't that known, which made thing easier to work undercover, and, most important, he had an offer they couldn't turn down. Dante Dominici never started a negotiation unless he was sure that he had something to offer that no one else could. And he definitely had that something.

The journey from Birmingham to London was 2 hours long. Enough time to increase Angelina's anxiety and Arthur's amusement for her girlfriend's reactions.

"I can't believe that my father is making me do this."  
"I thought you wanted him to meet me."  
"Yes! I wanted him to meet you," She made an emphasis on 'you' "But I didn't expect him to invite the whole family, yours and mine. This is going to be a disaster" She complained pinching her nose.

When her father asked her to invite the Shelbys, she decided to invite the ones who she had already met. That included Tommy, Polly, John, Esme, Ada and Lizzie. Although Lizzie wasn't a Shelby, she and Angelina had gotten close during the last weeks. So she didn't like the idea of don't include her in that meeting. The same happened with Esme and Ada. They weren't indispensable members of the company, but they were her friends, and she wanted them to be there too. Finn couldn't go with them due to a hangover, courtesy of his night with Isaiah Jesus. The boy didn't choose the right night to try alcohol for the first time.

"Hey," Arthur said pulling his free hand around her shoulder while the other was on the steering wheel "Everything will be fine."  
"How do you know?"  
"Because I have you and you have me. At the end of the day, that's all that matters."  
"I love you, Arthur Shelby," She said giving him a short kiss on the corner of his lips "And no matter what happens today, nothing will change that."  
"Unless your father shot me in the middle of the lunch."  
"No, he's too polite to do that. He'd probably sent someone to shot you while you are sleeping."  
"Thanks, that makes me feel so much better." Angelina smiled with amusement and gave him another kiss.

Despite his calm appearance, Arthur was a bundle of nerves on the inside. Meet your future father in law was already bad, but the fact that his was one of the most dangerous and powerful gangsters in London, didn't help too much. When he thought he was about to lose his mind, he saw Angelina. She was beautiful, and her head was lying on his shoulder. 

He still didn't understand how someone like her could be so in love with someone like him. But she had chosen him, and the least he could do was fight to deserve her, and her father's approval. The last one seemed to be the most difficult to get, though. 

As the Bugatti was getting closer to the mansion, a big gate was open by two servants to allow the car's entrance. After parking, Arthur got down the car and helped Angelina to do the same. He couldn't believe what he saw, neither did the others who were just leaving their cars. They all had seen mansions before, but that one didn't have anything to compare to. Even Tommy was impressed. Of course, his face was trying to hide it. 

In front of them, there were, at least, forty acres of lawn and garden. The light breeze carried with itself the essence of the pines, the smooth perfume of the plums on the trees, and the nostalgic fragrance of lavenders. The whole garden was surrounded by different types of trees and flowers. Enough to make it colourful but not so much to be considered excessive.

In front of the gate, there was a paved path that led to a big marble stair that ended in the mansion's entrance. Part of that path surrounded a fountain with dazzling sculptures at the sides. As they were walking, the place seemed to get bigger and bigger. But, while everybody had their attention focused on the lavish building, her eyes were looking at Arthur. The way he seemed to be fascinated by everything reminded her to the expression of a child who goes to the toy store for the first time and is told he can choose whatever he wants. 

Before they reached the entrance, the doors were already open for them. As it was to be expected, the inside of the building was bigger and more lavish than they could imagine. In their way to the parlour, Arthur and Angelina didn't leave each other's hands. She could felt how his palm squeezed hers.

"Arthur?"  
"Yes?" He asked without looking at her.  
"My father it's not perfect, and regardless of what other people say, he's not God. He doesn't expect you to be perfect either."  
"I just... I don't want to screw things up" He admitted.  
"You won't" She smiled to encourage him.

When they reached the parlour, Angelina's family were waiting for them sitting in velvet couches. Everybody was there, Tony and Eva were chatting about a party of one friend of them. Alannah and Vinny were there too although they didn't live in the mansion anymore. After Alannah gave Vincent the news, he didn't waste time and started looking for the perfect house for her and him to start their family. In a couple of days, they were already celebrating their wedding in a simple chapel. Only the closest to the couple were invited. The party was modest in comparison to what was expected from a wealthy family as the Dominicis were. But the couple wanted it in that way and, truth be told, nobody could have a better time. 

Although Chris had moved a long time ago too, he never missed a family meeting. And, last but not least, the head of the family was also in the parlour. He was talking with Alannah and Vincent when Angelina and the rest entered to the room. 

"There's my daughter" He smiled embracing her "And you must be Arthur" Angelina's father shook his hand with an expression that showed cordiality. After greeting each guest, they started talking about trivial things until one of the maids announced that lunch was ready. 

The dishes were delicious as well as the drinks. The ones who weren't Italian, that day they understood why so many people spoke wonders about their cuisine. After finishing they deserts, Dante talked politely to his daughter. 

"Angie, would you mind to show the ladies the garden? Men are going to have a boring talk, and we wouldn't like to get you bore."

Angelina smiled to herself, but it wasn't a smile of joy. No, it was the smile of someone who finally understood what was going on. Even though she knew his father cared for her, she couldn't understand his urgency to meet the Shelby family. Now she realised that, what he actually wanted, was to make a deal with them. Everytime he had to talk about business in his mansion, if there were women and kids, they used to send them to take a walk in the garden and then go to the private beach. 

"Sure," She said leaving her chair and the other women did the same. When she saw Polly, she saw her chance to make her like her "Actually dad" Angelina said placing her hand in his shoulder "Polly is into boring talking too, maybe she could stay" She knew that while the boys were at war, Polly was in charge of the family business. And most important, she saw how mad she was every time Tommy didn't take her advices seriously. Maybe, is she made her father treat her as an equal in business matters she would gain, if not her affection, her respect. 

"If she doesn't mind I don't see why not" For the way she spoke to Tommy, Dante could tell she was something like his right hand. Which meant that sooner or later she would know what they discussed. Before leaving the dining room, Angelina could see a small smile on Polly's lips.


End file.
